Non Revertens
by FishPatronus
Summary: Harry Potter has won the war, but things are getting shaken up once again when Harry is faced with Death Eaters and a time turner. One nasty attack lands Harry in a different and unfamiliar time... with the original Marauders?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey guys and gals! I've previously posted this fanfic before, but I did a lot of editing and made some changes to it, so I am re-posting it and I have deleted the old one. I felt it would be easier to just do it this way rather than going back and editing each and every chapter on here.**_

Non Revertens

Theme Song: People Change - For King and Country

Chapter One: Living Nightmare

* * *

 **Hold Me Now - Red**

 _Fall asleep to dreams of home,_

 _Where the waves are crashing._

 _The only place I've ever known,_

 _Now the future has me._

 _I see the fire in the sky,_

 _I see it all around me._

 _I said the past is dead,_

 _The life I had is gone._

 _Said I won't give up until I see the sun…_

* * *

" _Shhhh, Harry. You're okay." Lily's gentle eyes looked into Harry's tearful ones. "You're safe, love." Not a minute after she told him he was safe, a voice shouted from downstairs._

" _Lily! Take Harry and go!" Lily heard her husband's panicked voice. "It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"_

 _There was a loud cackle, and then a flash of green. James could no longer be heard shouting. Harry began to cry louder. Lily was sobbing as she slammed the door to the nursery shut and shoved a chair up to it. She locked the door, though she knew it was no use. She held Harry in her arms. "It's okay. Momma's got you. I'll keep you safe."_

 _There was a loud bang and Lily put her son in his crib. She took her wand out, prepared to fight. Another bang. Voldemort's patience was lost. There was a blast, and pieces of wood flew everywhere as the door was blasted away, along with the chair._

" _Stand aside!" His high, cold voice sent Harry into hysterics. Lily wouldn't move for him, instead, she stood her ground, pleading for him to spare her only child._

" _Please, not Harry! Take me instead!" she cried. Voldemort laughed again. Humourless._

" _You silly girl, get out of my way!" he yelled over her pleading and Harry's screams._

" _No! I won't let you take him." She spread her arms to keep him from Harry. Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at her._

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!" The green flash met its target, silencing Lily's screams. A cold, mirthless laugh, and then another green flash._

Harry woke up to somebody shaking him violently. "Harry! Wake up, will you?" Hermione lit her wand, casting a soft glow in the room. Ron was sitting up, awake. Harry sat up.

"You had another nightmare again, didn't you?" Hermione asked. Harry looked away, and Ron and Hermione could both assume that he did. "Harry, it's okay, we all have them."

"It was my parents. I witnessed their deaths," Harry muttered almost soundlessly as Ron pushed himself off of the bed. "Again."

"Shouldn't those nightmares have stopped?" He asked.

"Not necessarily, Ron. Think of all the trauma we've all dealt with." Hermione scolded him for his ignorance, but Ron just tilted his head and shrugged.

"I'm not brainless, Hermione. I know about all the trauma we've dealt with. I just thought those nightmares were linked with Voldemort. Anyways, I'm going to go get something to drink. Do either of you want anything?" He asked. Harry and Hermione shook their heads.

It was silent for a little while. Hermione sat beside Harry, and Harry stared off, looking at nothing in particular. His glasses were on the nightstand beside his bed, so he couldn't really see anything even if he tried. Hermione let out a deep breath and then spoke.

"I'm going to look for my parents. In Australia. I'm going to try and restore their memory," She said. Harry looked at her. He could only make out her outline, so he couldn't tell what expression her face held.

" _Accio glasses._ " He held his wand out, and he caught his glasses with his free hand. He put them on, and looked at Hermione. Her face showed what most everyone else's showed these days. _Grief._ He sighed. "Ron and I will come with you."

"No. I need to do this alone. I'll be fine, I promise. Besides, I have something I need you to look after for me." She pulled something from the inside of her shirt. It was a time-turner.

"Hermione, I thought you gave that back!" Harry said, astonished. Hermione gave a small, sad smile.

"This isn't the same one. I found this on the grounds at Hogwarts after the battle. I've had it ever since. And it's a bit sensitive." Hermione unclasped the chain around her neck, holding the charm carefully. "I don't think it would be a good idea to take it with me to Australia."

"Alright, I'll look after it," Harry said, taking the time-turner and clasping it around his own neck. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Don't tell Ron about it. I don't want him to try anything. The past shouldn't be tampered with." Her voice became quieter, but more genuine as Harry tucked the time-turner into his shirt.

"You have my word, Hermione." Harry gave an understanding little smile.

"I'm back." Ron walked into the room and sat on his own bed, taking a large sip from a bottle of butterbeer.

"Well, it's nearly nine, so there's no point in going back to sleep," Hermione stated. She looked over at Ron, who was eyeing her curiously. "Ron, I'm going to Australia. To find my parents. I'm going to try to restore their memories."

"What? Then I'm going with you." Ron nearly choked on his butterbeer.

"No, Ron. I need to do this alone. I'll be fine. Honestly, you think I'd let myself get hurt?" Hermione smiled at both boys, and then left the room.

"Blimey, what's got into her?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"She needs to figure things out for herself." Harry stood up and began to dress into day clothes. He took care to hide the time-turner from Ron, slipping it off when his back was turned, and tucking it into his pocket before he changed out of his shirt.

"Do you think it'll work? Do you think Hermione can restore her parents' memories?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, but I doubt it. Not because I don't think she's capable, but because that kind of thing is nearly impossible." Harry pointed his wand to his shirt and it zoomed toward him.

"You're going to Diagon Alley today, aren't you?" Ron asked. Harry pulled the shirt over his head, covering his previously bare chest. He didn't change his pants, and instead used the scouring charm to clean them and straighten them out.

"Yeah, I'm getting a new owl," Harry replied. "Is your mum up?"

"Yeah, she was about to make breakfast in the kitchen when I went down there. Should be ready soon by now."

Harry left the room, slipped the time-turner back on under his shirt, and made his way down the numerous steps toward the kitchen. There, he saw Mrs. Weasley making breakfast, and Hermione holding a very familiar baby in her arms. Harry raised his eyebrows at her, wondering when he got there.

"Teddy arrived this morning. Andromeda isn't feeling well, so Mrs. Weasley agreed to take care of him while she recuperates." Hermione explained, gently rocking the small child, whose wispy and short hair changed from his favourite turquoise blue color to golden brown curls that matched Hermione's.

Harry sat down beside Hermione, smiling down at the growing baby in her arms. He was a reminder of what was taken from them all, but he reminded Harry of himself. Orphaned. Only this time, he would be treated right.

"Breakfast!" Mrs. Weasley called. All at once you could hear footsteps thundering down the seemingly fragile staircase. It was amazing how well it had held up over so many years of so many kids parading up and down without a care in the world. Only now, did they take care. It wasn't filled with the happy banter that used to fill the silence. It was just normal, careful conversation.

Mrs. Weasley distributed plates and glasses and food and drinks, and everybody helped themselves. Hermione fed Teddy Lupin soft food, and Harry watched, smirking as Teddy spit it out on her. There was no real conversation, and this bothered somebody at the table.

"What happened to our family?" George's voice spoke out among the quiet clatter of plates and silverware.

"George?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her eyes wide with question and worry.

"I know that we've lost friends, and it hurts me, believe me it does. But I know that they wouldn't have wanted us to mope around dwelling on something that can't be reversed," George went on, earning everybody's eyes now. Even Teddy stayed quiet. "They would have wanted us to go on with our lives. To make jokes and to be proud of ourselves," he said. Fred smiled sadly.

" _We won the war!_ " He said. His eyes threatened to spill over with tears, but he blinked them away and stared at his mother intently.

"You're right boys. We've stopped moving forward," She said with a weak smile playing across her weary face. "From now on, let's all try to look ahead."

Hermione glanced at Harry, who had looked over at her knowingly. She hadn't discussed her plan with anyone else yet, but now would be a good time. "Speaking of looking ahead," She said. "I've decided, that I'm going to look for my parents in Australia. I think it's what I need right now."

Everybody turned to stare at her now. Even Ginny was shocked, and they were very nearly best friends now. The red headed girl spoke up. "Is anybody going to be going with you?" She asked.

"No, I'm going alone," Hermione replied, just as she had told Ron and Harry before. And they all knew she needed this.

"Normally I'd say you were mad, but, after all that's happened, this is something you need. I know you can handle yourself now, Hermione."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. That means a lot to me," Hermione replied.

"When will you be going?" Arthur Weasley asked her with a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"Tomorrow. I'll be going Tomorrow." Hermione looked down at her plate as she spoke, hushed, and they all knew then, in that moment, that she was afraid. She had momentarily forgotten about Teddy, and the small baby began to cry, his hair turning black, like Harry's unruly black hair.

Harry stood, having just finished his breakfast, and took little Teddy up into his arms. Harry wasn't a mushy person, nor did he know how to care for a small child, but he smiled down at the baby anyways, hiding his apprehension.

* * *

"Harry, is that Neville, over there?" Ron asked, as they walked among Diagon Alley, which wasn't as packed as it normally was. Most of the people in the wizarding world were still afraid. The Battle of Hogwarts had only happened a month ago, after all.

Harry looked in the direction that Ron had pointed, and saw Neville Longbottom escorting a blonde witch toward Gringotts.

"Yes, Ron, I think that is Neville," Harry replied, a smirk on his face as they watched Neville open the door, holding it for the witch.

"Blimey, I didn't think he'd ever get a girlfriend," Ron said. Harry didn't laugh. So many people didn't think that much of Neville, even after what he did in the war, because not many people knew how important what he did was. Harry gave Ron a look that immediately wiped the smile off of his face.

"Neville is a great person, and I'm glad somebody can finally see that in him," Harry said.

Without another word, they walked to the owl emporium, where Harry looked at the owls cooing in their cages. He had already told himself that he wouldn't buy another snowy owl. So, he settled upon the barred owls, also known as hoot owls. Ron was eyeing a tawny owl, perched inside it's cage, following his movement with it's head.

"Harry, I think I might get an owl too." Ron said, reading the sign in front of the owl. "Pig is okay and all, but he isn't reliable for larger parcels."

 _Not yet named, this female tawny owl is reliable,_

 _and proud. She can deliver your mail under numerous conditions,_

 _and she'll tolerate other pets._

"That doesn't seem like a bad one, Ron," Harry called. He looked over at the tawny owl that Ron was now taking to the witch at the counter. Harry continued his search for an owl, finding a male barred owl that was described as reliable and quiet compared to other hoot owls. He took that one, and brought it to the witch standing behind the counter. Ron had just finished paying the witch, and Harry paid the witch ten galleons for his owl.

"What are you naming yours, Harry?" Ron asked as they walked along the street toward the Leaky Cauldron.

"Not sure. I was originally going to get a female, so I could name it Cliodna, but this one's a male." Harry looked down at the owl and the owl gazed back.

"Mind if I take that idea from you then?" Ron walked into the Leaky Cauldron, Harry following behind.

"Sure, go ahead." They made their way to the bar, setting the cages on top. They both ordered a firewhiskey and sat down.

"I wonder when things will go back to normal?" Ron asked. Harry and Ron had made an agreement weeks earlier that they wouldn't let the tragedies during the war stop them from having normal conversations and living life.

"I dunno. Everyone else is living in fear, so I guess whenever they decide that it's safe again. You never really can tell, anymore though. Everyone thought it was safe over sixteen years ago, didn't they? So now, only a few people are absolutely sure that it's over." Harry took a sip from the firewhiskey that had just been placed in front of him.

"Are you going to go back to Hogwarts for your seventh year?" Ron asked, taking a sip from his firewhiskey as well.

"Yeah. I have to, right? I mean, if I want to be an auror, and all. I know Kingsley said that we could start training now, but I don't want to seem too privileged." Harry looked around. The pub was nearly deserted, and the bartender, Tom, was sitting on a stool behind the counter nearby.

"Yeah, I'm going to go back too. I wonder, who else is returning?" Ron looked at his owl, now dubbed Cliodna. "Don't suppose you could get me some bacon, Tom?" He called to the bartender.

"Yeh, I can do that." Tom got up and summoned bacon from the back, magically cooking it. He then placed it on top of a plate and set it in front of Ron. Ron thanked him and broke a piece of bacon into smaller pieces, tossing some of it into Cliodna's cage and eating the rest himself.

"I don't know who else will return, honestly. But I hope it's the same as it was before Voldemort returned." Harry took another sip, the golden liquid burning his throat as it went down.

"Did you hear about the trials they're having?" Ron asked.

"For the Hogwarts Students that have been accused?" Harry replied.

"Yeah, apparently quite a few of them have a chance of getting off with a warning," Ron said.

"I was asked to testify at the trials. Didn't want to tell you or Hermione, or anyone for that matter, but now I'm beginning to realize I shouldn't keep secrets."

"Really? They haven't asked me, but I overheard Hermione and Ginny. I think they asked Hermione to testify too," Ron said. "What are you going to say?"

"The truth. If I'm testifying for someone who I believe might actually be guilty, I'll tell them the truth. Same goes for those that I don't believe to be guilty," Harry replied.

They sat there for a while, drinking firewhiskey and talking. They were beginning to head toward the Leaky's fireplace, planning on using the floo network since they were slightly buzzed, and couldn't apparate. As they walked, their cages in their hands, there was a loud crash, and the sound of many feet scuffling around. Soon, Harry and Ron were surrounded.


	2. Chapter 2: A Harsh New Reality

_**A/N: Hello Guys and Gals! I look forward getting those reviews from you all and I'm glad you decided to continue reading!**_ Chapter Two: A Harsh New Reality

* * *

 **The Scientist - Coldplay**

… _Oh let's go back to the start,_

 _Running in circles,_

 _Coming up tails,_

 _Heads on a science Apart_

 _Nobody said it was easy_

 _It's such a shame for us to part_

 _Nobody said it was easy_

 _No one ever said it would be this hard_

 _Oh take me back to the start…_

* * *

Familiar hooded, masked figures stood, their wands out, all aimed at Harry. In the middle of the Leaky Cauldron, out in the open. Harry and Ron looked around, and noticed that the few people who had been there previously, were gone. Tom too, was gone.

"Now we know who _not_ to rely on." Ron began to pull out his wand, and Harry looked at all of the Death Eaters silently working out a plan. They were so obviously outnumbered, and Harry wasn't sure he could take on a dozen death eaters without more help.

He bent forward slowly, the death eaters not wavering for a moment as they watched him curiously, placing his owl cage down on the floor beside him. Then a voice spoke.

"Who's here to save you now, Harry Potter?" It was an unfamiliar voice, and Harry slowly pulled out his wand. Nobody claimed it from him.

"How bold for you all to surround us here, a dozen against two," Harry said. "Have you lost your courage, since Voldemort can no longer protect you? Oh wait, you never had any courage to begin with."

That, it seemed, was a very unwise thing to say. The death eaters all began to shoot hexes and curses, and most of them missed, but Ron was now writhing in pain on the floor. The result of the cruciatus curse. Harry pointed his wand at the nearest death eater and stunned him, dodging blows from the other death eaters at the same time.

"Harry!" Harry heard Hermione's voice come from the open doorway of the Leaky. Harry couldn't think of what to do, and luckily, Hermione had her wand out, joining the fight. The Death Eaters seemed to anticipate this, however, and they all aimed curses at Ron simultaneously. Ron blocked a couple of them, but it didn't stop him from getting hurt.

"RON!" Harry and Hermione both yelled as Ron screamed in pain once more, now bleeding from his shoulder, his face red from screaming so hard. Harry guessed that about a half a dozen of the Death Eaters had used the cruciatus on him. Before Harry realised what they were doing, about a dozen curses were then aimed at Hermione, and she fell to the ground, screaming and gasping as a brand new hole in her jeans revealed a large gash in her calf.

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled. In that very moment, every death eater aimed their wands at Harry, and they all sent curses at him. Harry prepared himself for the pain, but instead of unimaginable discomfort, his chest glowed, vibrating softly. Harry sank to the ground, his hand reaching out for his owl cage, to hold him steady.

"Harry- th- the" Hermione tried to get her words out, but she couldn't. Harry knew, however, what she was trying to say. He reached down his shirt, pulling out the time-turner. It was the time-turner that was glowing and vibrating. All the death eaters had stopped, clearly confused, and watched this anomaly. Soon, the time-turner began to spin, slowly at first, and then more rapidly.

"What the bloody hell is going on with him?" Ron asked franticly.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled. Horrified, she tried to get up, but she couldn't. Harry felt himself spinning, and saw his surroundings begin to fade. _It's not real,_ he thought.

He spun faster and faster until he was ready to vomit, unable to see anything. It felt as though he were traveling by both portkey, floo, and apparition at once, and about ten times worse. He knew what was happening. He was time-travelling. But to what time, he didn't know.

As soon as he felt himself hit the ground, he got sick everywhere. He was on his hands and knees, and dizzy. Unable to stand, he collapsed, and his blurry vision gradually got worse until it faded completely, everything going black.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes to find a blurry, red-orange light shining down on him. He tried to focus his eyes, but couldn't. He then realised he had no glasses. He felt around, his hands feeling for them, but he found nothing. He did, however, figure out, by the feel of the ground, that he was outside, on grass and dirt. His new owl had somehow managed to stay with him, and it flapped its wings rapidly, hooting and practically howling. Harry lifted his wand up, muttering a spell.

" _Accio glasses."_ He waited, sitting up, and then heard the unmistakable _whoosh_ of his spectacles. Holding out his empty hand, he caught his glasses and put them on.

The first thing he noticed was that his glasses were broken. The left lens cracked, he couldn't quite see well out of that one, but it was better than it had been without them. The second thing he noticed was that he was sitting in his own puke. Getting up immediately, stumbling for a minute as he tried to balance himself, he used another charm.

" _Scourgify._ " All of the vomit vanished immediately, leaving himself and the grassy ground spotless. He did the same to his owl's cage, as it too, was covered in sick.

Harry took the time to look up at his surroundings. The last time he had used a time-turner was in his third year when he and Hermione had rescued Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. That time, they hadn't changed locations as they travelled backward. This time, however, it was very obvious that Harry was no longer anywhere near Diagon Alley. He recognised it, luckily, as the clearing he had met Voldemort in, when Voldemort attempted to kill him a third time.

Unsure of what to do, or even what year he was in, Harry debated his options. He eventually rested on the most logical one. _Go to the castle and seek help._

Picking up his owl's cage, he walked in the direction of the castle, trying not to fall over from dizziness. He took a longer time to get out of the forest than he had in times past, and once he was out, he was exhausted. He pushed himself, struggling toward the entrance of the castle. The sky above him had gone from red-orange to a dark purplish shade. He was now only feet away from the entrance. He stumbled, and fell. He sat there, on his hands and knees, his head down, for a while. When he felt like he could walk, he stood and continued toward the castle. _I need to see Madam Pomfrey,_ he thought. He ignored the tantrums of his owl, and focused all of his energy on putting one foot in front of the other.

Soon, he was at the doorway leading into the hospital wing, but he could no longer continue under any circumstances. He collapsed onto the cold stone floor, the cage crashing down with him. Whatever the death eaters had done, it had really messed him up.

* * *

"Is he awake yet, Poppy?" The familiar voice of Albus Dumbledore made Harry very nearly yell. _But Dumbledore is supposed to be dead,_ he thought.

"He should be awake very soon. Whatever happened to him really did take a toll on his energy," the witch responded. "I ask that you not raise his energy levels when you talk to him."

"No worries, Poppy," said Albus Dumbledore. Harry heard footsteps and guessed that Madam Pomfrey had headed to her office. He chose that moment to open his eyes, very slowly. His vision was blurred, and he instinctively reached for his wand.

"Your glasses, along with your wand, and your owl, are just over there, on the nightstand." Albus Dumbledore's voice had addressed Harry directly this time.

Harry reached toward the nightstand that he knew would be on his right side, and picked up his glasses. His glasses were no longer shattered. He looked up at the professor, and tried his best to hide his look of astonishment. Albus Dumbledore was not only well and alive, he was also much younger, with fewer creases in his forehead.

"Sir, you-" Harry began, but he stopped himself, remembering what Hermione had once said about time-travel and how it was very easy to change things in time.

"I don't know you, and yet, somehow you're here, at Hogwarts. Answer me this, how did you do it?" Dumbledore said, ignoring Harry's mistake.

"Uh… Oh. Well, I'm afraid, that it would be a bad idea for me to tell you," Harry said, looking away from the professor's eyes.

"Madam Pomfrey found you in possession of a time-turner." the professor said, holding up the long chain in which held the time-turner. "I think that whatever you say will be based on the future, and I can give you my word that it will not be repeated without strong consideration."

Harry, conflicted, debated inside his head. On one hand, Dumbledore was a wise and trustworthy man. On the other hand, he couldn't get Hermione's words about altering the future out of his head.

"Perhaps, if we start by introducing ourselves?" Dumbledore suggested.

"You're Albus Dumbledore. Everybody knows that," Harry said. Dumbledore smiled at him.

"And you are?" he asked. Harry swallowed. He'd have to start somewhere, right?

"My name is Harry. Harry Potter." Whatever reaction Harry thought that Dumbledore would have, didn't come. Instead, the professor tilted his head very slightly, out of curiosity.

"And, Harry, how old are you?" He asked.

"I turn eighteen on July thirty-first, nineteen ninety-eight." Harry spoke hesitantly, afraid that he'd say or do something to change the timeline permanently. "In my timeline, that's one week away."

"It is currently Saturday, July twenty-fourth, nineteen seventy-one." Albus looked at Harry with a small twinkle in his eye.

"In that case, I don't exist." Harry looked over at his wand, sighing. Dumbledore moved to sit on the bed next to Harry's.

"But you're here. And we can't send you back to the future. So why don't you tell me what happened, and perhaps, I can try to help you." The professor looked over at Harry, who sat up.

"Why can't you send me back to the future?" Harry asked. Dumbledore smiled, looking as though he'd hoped Harry would ask.

"Have you ever heard the old wizarding story of the young witch who gained one hundred and thirty years in one night, and died a month later? It's been passed on from generation to generation."

"No Sir, I wasn't raised by a wizarding family," Harry replied, his expression showing interest.

"Ah. Well, the story says that a young witch, no older than twenty-five, encountered a funny little charm. She was a curious young witch, and she noticed that it could be spun. So, she spun it many many times. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she hardly noticed that her surroundings were changing, until she looked up." Dumbledore gestured around them as if their surroundings would have changed while he was telling the story.

"How did she get back?"

"Well, back then, they weren't as smart. They didn't know as many of the dangers that we know now. She didn't think to even try taking a de-aging potion," Dumbledore said. "She tested different spells until she managed to find one that jumped her back to the future. However, Because she jumped right over her own birth, she aged all of the one hundred and thirty years that she had gone backward to. She died of old age, despite only being in her twenties," Albus Dumbledore took a moment to assess Harry. "Now, Harry, why don't you tell me what happened?"

"I shouldn't tell you everything, it might change the timeline," he said.

"Only tell me the necessary things, Harry," Albus Dumbledore replied. Harry nodded and thought of where he should begin. Should he tell the professor about Voldemort, or only about the time-turner?

"I was at my friend Ron's house. My other friend was planning on going to Australia for… something. She found this time-turner nearly a month earlier, on the Hogwarts grounds. She told me to keep it safe for her. That same day, Ron and I went to Diagon Alley, and we…" Harry paused there, trying to decide what exactly he should say. "We were attacked, and the time-turner, which was around my neck at the time, went haywire. That's how I got here."

Dumbledore pondered this news for a moment and his smile vanished. He looked at Harry very seriously. "There's nothing I can do to send you back to your time. If I tried, things might go terribly wrong, seeing as such magic is rare. It's one thing to send someone who jumped back a few years. It's another thing entirely to send you ahead of your own birth," Dumbledore said gravely. "If you jump over your own birth, there's no way to tell what consequences you may face. Therefore, the only other thing I can do is to give you a de-aging potion. You can start back at Hogwarts as a first year student, and live your life. I must stress to you though, the importance of your silence. You must swear that you will not reveal your origins to anybody else."

"But Sir, I-"

"I mean it. With your wand, Mr. Potter. Hold your wand up, and swear it." Dumbledore moved his own wand, the elder wand, as Harry knew it to be, and demonstrated.

Harry took his own wand off of the nightstand and held it up, pointing upward. "I swear that I will not reveal my origins while I remain in this time."

"Good. Now, I shall go get a de-aging potion from Madam Pomfrey, and we will then discuss what to do afterward," Dumbledore said, standing up, but before he turned to leave, his eyes fell upon Harry's forehead. Harry's trademark scar. He didn't ask about it, instead, he simply turned and walked to Madam Pomfrey's office.

Harry looked around, examining the hospital wing. Not many changes were there, although the floors looked newer than they had been when Harry first found himself in the hospital wing.

Soon, Albus Dumbledore was returning with a glass full of an odd bluish grey colored liquid. Harry took it as it was offered to him, but he hesitated in drinking it. It smelled funny, like paint. Harry reluctantly took it, drinking it as fast as possible to avoid the lingering taste. He made a face, and used his wand to fill the now empty glass with water to wash it down. He gulped at the water, and once he was done, Dumbledore spoke up.

"Now, we must find a home for you. You said that your last name was Potter?" Albus Dumbledore asked. Harry gulped. His father. This was the year that his father would be attending Hogwarts.

"Yes, Sir." Harry realised what Dumbledore must've been planning. He'd be able to meet his father in person. Of course, he couldn't tell James Potter that he was his son, but he would meet him nonetheless. "I should tell you Sir, James Potter is my father."

"Then perhaps, we could send you with the Potters? They're family and that would help us to avoid changing your name, as well as further inquiry from outsiders of your origin." Professor Dumbledore pulled a parchment and quill out of his cloak pocket, and began to write. Harry couldn't see all of what he was writing, but he made out the first line.

 _Mr. and Mrs. Potter,_

 _I have been confronted with a situation in which I need your assistance._

Harry was unable to make out the rest, and he noticed that as he had been watching the professor write, he himself had shrunken in size. His clothes were now far too big for him, though that had been something he was used to, having been given all of Dudley's old clothes.

When Dumbledore looked up, he smiled. "Ah, now you're eleven again. Since you've already had your original seventeenth birthday, and the trace has already been lifted from you at that time period, you will no longer have the trace now, and therefore, will not be punished, should you use magic outside of school," he said. "However, it would be wise not to use magic outside of school, unless absolutely nobody is around."

"Professor," Harry said. "This is my father's home we're talking about. How am I going to be able to keep quiet about that and pretend he's only my brother?" The professor then moved toward a cabinet where he took out a bottle of potion and a box.

"While I settle your housing arrangements, I'd advise you to get some more rest. You'll need it, for the Potters. Take this potion and the box. The box holds empty vials in which you can fill with your memories." He set the potion on the nightstand and paused, looking at the young boy, and then speaking again. "Have you ever used a pensieve, Harry?"

"Yes, Sir, but I've never put my own memories in one. I don't know how." Harry looked over at the box, a small wooden thing no more than five by five inches, with intricate and delicate carvings. The box expanded to reveal many of the small vials and corks that it held. Albus Dumbledore smiled at Harry and picked up his wand.

"It's rather simple. All you have to do is place your wand at your temple, think of whatever memory it is you want to cast away, and imagine yourself pushing it outward, as you pull your wand away." The professor demonstrated, and a small strand of silver appeared at the end of his wand, reminding Harry of a unicorn's tail. Dumbledore then pushed the memory back into his temple and motioned for Harry to try.

Harry lifted his wand to his temple. He thought of his dad. He thought of both his dad and his mum, any memory related to them that he had, he pushed it out of his head, and pulled it with his wand.

Albus Dumbledore uncorked one of the tubes and held it out for Harry. Harry used his wand to guide the silvery strand into the vial and then released it, allowing the professor to put the cork back on it.

"Ah and you should label the memories as well, so that you don't mix them up later," Professor Dumbledore said.

Harry placed the tip of his wand to the tube and a single word appeared in black: _Parents_. When the vial was safely in the box, he closed it and placed it on the nightstand.

"Take your potion now, I'll let you get some rest." And with that, the professor was leaving.

Harry lifted the cup to his lips, bracing himself for the horrible taste of _Dreamless Sleep_.

* * *

 **Sunday, July 25, 1971**

Harry heard voices a short distance away. He opened his eyes to find Albus Dumbledore talking to a witch and a wizard. When they noticed him, the witch smiled.

"Ah yes, good morning, Harry." Dumbledore turned to him, gesturing to the couple. "This is Euphemia and Fleamont Potter. They will be caring for you from now on."

Harry struggled to find words. Should he say hello? Should he say it was nice to meet them? He wasn't sure how best to handle this situation. He looked at them, trying to think of something, quickly.

"It's nice to meet you, Harry." Fleamont smiled down at him, and Harry attempted to smile back, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace.

"It's nice to meet you too." Harry finally spoke. His voice sounded younger, higher, and it shocked him before he remembered that he had been made younger by the de-aging potion. They said their greetings to him, and turned to Dumbledore, beginning to discuss plans.

"I think it best, since he looks so much like James, that he be introduced as his twin," Euphemia said. Harry listened to them curiously. This should be interesting.

"I do not disagree with you in the slightest," the professor said. "I can contact the administrative registration department about legalising the adoption."

"Thank you, Professor. We'll make sure he's well cared for," Fleamont said. Harry sat up and pushed aside the sheets that covered him, reaching for his wand. "But can I ask how you came across him? You never did answer that."

"He stumbled upon the grounds, looking like a mess. I don't really know from what environment or where he is." Harry noticed that Dumbledore emphasized the word 'where' in such a way that hinted that he knew other answers to other questions. He hid them well, though Harry had a feeling the elder man would tell the Potters in due time.

"Harry, are you feeling any better?" Euphemia Potter, an elder witch with graying brown hair, looked at Harry with a concerned expression playing on her features. Harry felt a warmth grow inside of him. This was his family.

"Yes, I am, thank you," Harry spoke awkwardly, unsure of himself.

"Shall we go home then? You can meet your new twin brother." Fleamont Potter was also an older wizard, with greying black hair, which was untidy, much like Harry's untidy black hair.

Harry stood, his wand in his hand, and he felt the looseness of his clothing. He was about to shrink them when he remembered what Dumbledore told him about using magic. Instead, he put his two index fingers around belt loops on either side of his pants and pulled upward.

Realising what Harry needed, Euphemia Potter pointed her wand at Harry's pants and shrunk them soundlessly until they fit him perfectly. She did the same with his shirt and he smiled at her gratefully.

"Now we can go," Harry said, feeling more relaxed. He picked up the owl cage and the box and took a step forward.

Dumbledore led them to a fireplace, where Euphemia Potter took a bit of floo powder in her hand and stood in it. She said 'Potter Manor' and vanished.

Fleamont Potter took the cage from Harry and allowed him to go first. Harry took some floo powder from the jar that Dumbledore held. "Potter Manor!" Harry said, tossing the powder down, and suddenly wishing he could have travelled by broom. He was lurched forward, and he closed his eyes to avoid the dizzy feeling.

He landed on a soft carpet floor, hearing his glasses crack as he fell on his face. "Oh dear, are you alright?" Euphemia knelt down, helping him sit up. He took off his glasses, feeling them with his finger. "Oh no, don't do that, you'll cut yourself. Let me fix them for you."

She took the glasses out of his hand and fixed them with her wand, returning them to him. He put them on and took in the sight surrounding him. It was an elegant room, expensive looking couches and fancy curtains over the windows.

"Mum, are you back?" A familiar voice sounded from the next room over and a young boy with messy black hair and glasses came rushing into the room. James Potter stared at Harry with wide eyes. Before he could say anything, Fleamont Potter came walking out of the fireplace.

"James, this is Harry," Euphemia told her son. "We're adopting him as your twin, because he's got nowhere to go."

James narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "Harry Potter? The name doesn't suit him. He can't take Grandpa's name."

"James, that is his name, and we'll stand by it," Fleamont said. "Now why don't you show him to the spare bedroom?"

"Yes, Sir. Let's go Harry, I'll take your owl." Harry stood up and followed James, who was now holding the owl cage, down the hallway and up a set of stairs.

Harry didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say, really. When James stopped in front of a doorway, he gestured for Harry to go in. Harry entered and found a large bedroom, filled with a king sized bed and extravagant bed coverings, as well as curtains, a shelf, and a wardrobe. Harry took in a breath at the sight.

"Right, this will be your room, then. You can unpack and- You haven't got anything!" James exclaimed as he took in the lack of a suitcase, or even a small bag.

"I- I've got a wand, a box, and an owl," Harry replied shyly. James' eyes went wide and he started shaking his head.

"Not acceptable. You need clothes, and trinkets, and- and-" James stopped, narrowing his eyes once again. "Why haven't you got anything?" James asked, and then, closing and opening his mouth he added, "How is it that you've got a wand already, yet you don't even have clothes?"

Harry, trying his best to think of what his eleven year old self would say, thought for a moment. His face registered that of confusion and deep thinking. "I dunno, actually."

"What a disappointment," James muttered.

Before Harry could respond to this, there was a loud pop and two house elves appeared. They bowed low before James, and then turned to do the same to Harry.

"Master is saying that Master Harry is living in Potter Manor now," they said at once.

"Can we be of any service to Master Harry?" The smaller, female one asked.

"Uh- No thanks, I'm fine." Harry was immediately reminded of Dobby, and he grew uncomfortable. He wished he were back in his own time. Hermione would know better what to do if she'd been put into this situation.

"Bucky, Becky, can I get some pumpkin juice?" James asked, ignoring Harry for the time being.

"No sir, Mistress and Master says you must wait for lunch." The male house elf answered him.

James pouted. "Off you go, then. Go on." When the house elves left, James turned to Harry, who had gone to sit on the bed, as he wasn't feeling very well. "So Harry, are you into practical jokes?"

"Um. Well, I've never really played any, any practical jokes. But, people say I have a knack for rule breaking," Harry replied, caught off guard. James then smiled brightly.

"You and I should get along just fine, then," he announced happily. "We're going to get our Hogwarts supplies tomorrow. Shall I show you around the manor?"

"Oh, uh. No thank you, I'm not really feeling well." Harry climbed under the bed covers, taking off his glasses and setting his wand down beside them.

"Are you alright?" James asked, suddenly looking very concerned for his new twin brother.

"Just a stomach ache is all," Harry answered.

"Mum can fix that up in no time, she's got an abundance of potions, as well as being terrific at healing spells," James offered.

"I'm alright, thank you," Harry said. He fell into a lying position and looked over at his new brother.

"Lunch will be ready soon. I'll let you rest a bit, but then we're going out on the Quidditch pitch. You know about quidditch, right?" James asked him, and Harry took his turn to smile brightly.

"I love quidditch," he said as James happily walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him.

Harry lay there for a while thinking about everything that happened to him. What are Ron and Hermione thinking right now? Will they be okay without him? He picked up his wand and fiddled with it quietly. He wasn't sure what he'd do.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hello everybody! This story IS completed, and I will be posting all of the chapters as quickly as I possibly can! Thank you for reading!**_

Chapter Three: Starting a New Life

* * *

 **Miss Missing You - Fall Out Boy**

 _Don't panic_

 _No not yet_

 _I know I'm the one you want to forget_

 _Cue all the love to leave my heart_

 _It's time for me to fall apart_

 _Now you're gone but I'll be okay_

…

 _Let the fire breathe me back to life_

* * *

 **Monday, July 26, 1971**

"Harry, dear? It's time to wake up, we'll be leaving for Diagon Alley, soon." Euphemia Potter's voice broke through Harry's odd dream and he forgot about it almost immediately. Where had the time gone? What happened to lunch?

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

"We let you sleep through lunch and dinner. Professor Dumbledore said you would need to recuperate." Euphemia pointed her wand at the curtains and they opened up to reveal a brightly shining sun.

"I'm starved," Harry said, rubbing his hand over his now settled and empty stomach.

"Well, let's get you something to eat. The twins are making breakfast right now," Euphemia said.

"The twins?" Harry instantly thought of George and Fred, and his heart sunk. He'd have to start putting more memories into the box.

"Becky and Bucky the house elves." Euphemia smiled down at him and turned toward the door. Before she left the room, she turned back and spoke. "Oh, and we've duplicated some of James' clothes for you to wear until we can get you some at Diagon Alley." She paused in the doorway, and then closed the door as she left the room.

Harry stood up and walked over to the wardrobe. He would be his dad's twin. They were going to wear similar clothing, do similar things, and who knows what trouble he'd get into with him? James was no longer his father. He was his brother.

Just as Harry opened the doors to the wardrobe, James came bursting in. He had a wicked grin on his face and his black hair was even messier than it had been yesterday, if that was possible. He walked straight over to Harry and gently moved him aside so he could take a look at the clothes in the wardrobe.

"We're wearing this," he said, pulling out a red button up shirt and a pair of jeans. He handed them to Harry and then ran out of the room laughing, closing the door behind him. Harry regarded the clothes that rest in his arms, and sighed.

Harry changed his clothes and made his way downstairs. Before he could enter the room that he had came into in the floo, James had taken his arm and led him down another hall until they came to a large mirror. Harry gasped at the sight of himself in the mirror, looking almost exactly identical to James. _I really do look much like my father,_ he thought to himself. _All except the eyes._ He turned to face James and James turned to face him.

"It's a shame your eyes are green. We could really fool people," James said with a bright smile. Harry smiled too. Of course, he could make his eyes the same hazel/brown color that belonged to James, but then it would be suspicious, as he was not really supposed to be able to use magic yet.

"Can't one of your parents change them? With transfiguration or something?" Harry asked.

"Mum wouldn't dare. She knows we'd only try to switch places. But we may be able to get Dad to do it. He's better at transfiguration anyway." James' eyes lit up at the idea.

They walked into the dining room together and Harry listened to James talk about Diagon Alley, and quidditch. The dining room was large, and comfortable. The table was a nice wooden one with a glossy finish and a red tablecloth with a silver pattern stitched into it. James sat down next to the head of the table, toward the window, and Harry sat next to him.

Euphemia Potter walked into the room and smiled at the sight of the two messy-haired boys sitting at the table. She took a seat across from James and then Fleamont Potter entered and took his seat at the head. No more than two minutes later, the two house elves came in with floating dishes of eggs benedict, buttered toast, french toast, biscuits, strawberries, blueberries, black and red raspberries, and glasses filled with pumpkin juice. Harry's eyes widened and he realized exactly how hungry he was.

A plate was set down in front of him, which held eggs benedict, french toast, a biscuit, and assorted fruit. He was then given a glass of pumpkin juice and he watched as the elves put plates and drinks down in front of the other three as well. He waited until James started eating, to make sure it was alright for him to dive into the food. It seemed almost too good to be true. He pinched his leg under the table to make sure it was real. It was.

The eggs benedict was better than he had ever tasted. Then again, he had only ever had his aunt's eggs benedict, so that wasn't saying much. Each bite he took was juicy and savory and it made him only that much hungrier for more. He took a few sips of his pumpkin juice before eating his french toast, and then moving onto the biscuit, and lastly the fruit. The berries were sweet and delicious, along with the small pieces of kiwi. When Harry finished, he looked up to find that James was still eating his biscuit, and his parents were working on their french toast. James looked over at him as he moved on to the fruit and his eyes widened and he tried to keep his food inside his mouth as he smiled. James swallowed what was there before speaking.

"Merlin's beard, you're faster than me!" he exclaimed. Harry smiled and felt heat rising to his cheeks.

When James finished, they waited on their parents to get done eating before heading into what James had dubbed the 'floo room'. Fleamont removed the lid of a jar that had the words 'floo powder' on it, and took a handful of it.

Stepping into the fireplace, he said "Diagon Alley", threw down the powder, and vanished in green flame. Euphemia turned to Harry.

"You next," she told him. He nodded, and she gestured for him to take a bit of powder. He did, and then he stepped inside the fireplace.

Remembering the mistake he made his first time, he was sure to enunciate very carefully, to avoid the same thing this time around. "Diagon Alley!" he said, throwing the powder down and feeling himself being thrusted forward, and then around, and up, and back down until he found himself in the Leaky Cauldron.

Fleamont Potter was waiting for him a couple of feet away, and Harry made his way over to him.

"Mr. Po- I mean, Dad?" Harry started. Fleamont Potter looked down at Harry with a compassionate smile, and Harry continued. "I don't have the same eyes as James. I want it to be more believable." He made himself seem nervous, fidgeting around and shuffling his feet.

"I'll fix that later. We'll have to do it when your mum isn't around" He gestured toward the floo where Euphemia and James stood, Euphemia apparently talking sternly to James.

When they were finished, Harry watched as his new brother and his new mum walked over to them. Euphemia smiled at Fleamont, and they both looked at their new addition to the family. Fleamont faced the two kids.

"Right then, where shall we go first? Flourish and Blotts, perhaps?" Fleamont said, smirking down at James who looked as though he would explode from his eagerness.

"Ollivander's! Mum, Dad, please?" he begged them, and Fleamont laughed, while Euphemia hit Fleamont lightly on the arm for teasing their son.

"Of course, of course. We'll go to Ollivander's, then," he said, and then he paused. "But wait, Euphemia," he said, pulling his wife to the side for a quick private chat.

"What's with them?" James asked. Harry suddenly realized exactly what was playing in Fleamont' mind. Harry couldn't just sit there and not get a wand. Ollivander would question it, and if they told him that he had already gotten a wand, then their lie would be detected immediately.

"I think," Harry said, pausing to try and figure out what he could say without giving anything away. "I think I might have to get another wand."

"What, why? Is your wand no good?" James asked.

"Well, you see-" but before he could finish, their parents came and looked down at Harry.

"Harry, where did you get your wand from?" Euphemia asked. Harry knew what he needed to say.

"I don't remember," he replied. "Is that bad?"

"Not at all, dear, but we're going to have to get you another one, to avoid any questions," Euphemia said. "We want everyone to have no doubt that you and James are twins."

"That makes sense," James said. "Your other wand could be the spare." James mumbled something else under his breath about wanting two wands as well, and Harry instantly felt bad.

"But I like my wand," Harry protested.

"Then this one can be the spare," James said.

"Harry, either way, we'll need to get you another one, you understand?" Fleamont said. His firm tone told Harry that now was not the time to argue. Harry nodded.

They made their way to Ollivander's and Fleamont held the door open for them all as they entered the small shop. There was a counter, and a couple of chairs, and a girl was paying the old wandmaker. Her hair was bright red and her skin was pale. _That could be my mum,_ Harry thought. And he was right. He recognized a younger version of his mother's face as she turned to leave the store.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. And who do we have here?" the man, Ollivander, had his eyes on both James and Harry.

"These are our sons, James and Harry," Euphemia said, smiling at Ollivander. Ollivander regarded them with a twinkle in his eye and he motioned for James to go first. James took a step forward and Harry followed Euphemia and Fleamont over to the chairs. Harry watched as Ollivander made measurements on James, and then pulled a few different boxes from the shelf. He set them in a line on the counter and opened the first one, handing James the wand.

"Ebony, unicorn tail hair, twelve inches, swishy," Ollivander said. James flicked it and a vase broke. "Nope, not for you."

Ollivander handed James the next wand. "Apple, phoenix tail feather, ten inches, slightly bendy," he said.

James waved it in front of him and boxes flew off of the shelf. Ollivander took it from him and handed him a third. "Mahogany, dragon heart string, eleven inches, and pliable."

As soon as James took it, it glowed and Ollivander smiled. "That's the one! Now, mister Harry Potter."

Harry stood, and James took his empty seat. Harry walked over to the counter, where Ollivander measured Harry in the same way he did to James and then took the apple wand he had tested on James. He handed it to Harry, who waved it. Nothing happened.

Ollivander took the wand, and went back to the shelves to pick out a few more. He moved the ones that were for James to test, and set down the choices for Harry. He opened the first box.

"Ebony, Phoenix tail feather, eleven inches, bendy," He handed the wand to Harry, and he flicked it toward the lid of the box, saying the levitation spell in his head out of curiosity. The lid didn't levitate. It shot away from him instead, pushing another box onto the floor.

"Perhaps not. I do believe that you would be most favored by a phoenix tail feather core." Ollivander opened the next box after putting away the other wand. He handed it to Harry, announcing that it was an eleven and a half inch mahogany wand that contained a phoenix tail feather and was flexible.

Harry waved this wand at the box lid, thinking of the levitation spell, and the lid lifted itself up an inch, two inches, and then dropped back down as Harry turned to look at Ollivander for results. Ollivander smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that is the wand for you," he said to the boy. Then he turned to Euphemia and Fleamont. "That will be fourteen galleons."

Fleamont paid the wizard and they left the shop. James turned to his parents, a pleading expression on his face.

"Can we go to Quality Quidditch Supplies while you buy our books? Please?" Euphemia and Fleamont looked at each other. They then looked back down at James and Harry.

"Fine, but you two have to stick together," Euphemia said to them. They both smiled up at their parents and ran toward the quidditch shop.

Harry opened the door and they stepped inside. He followed James over to the brooms. James stopped at one of the brooms, which, in Harry's eyes didn't look so appealing compared to a Nimbus two thousand or a Firebolt. But, of course, they didn't have those in this time period.

"Look at this Harry, they've got a Nimbus one thousand and five hundred!" James said. Harry smiled, remembering his Nimbus two thousand. "You've played quidditch before, right?"

"Yeah, I'm the seeker on-" He stopped himself. He almost said he was the seeker on the Gryffindor team. "I'm the seeker on most occasions."

"Brilliant! We should get Mum and Dad to get you a broom. We've only got mine and Dad's at home," James said. They continued to look at brooms, walking on to each model in the line of them.

"Turbo?" Harry said, having never seen it in his time. James came to Harry's side and laughed.

"That's like four years old, that is. Besides, they aren't fast, nor do they turn well," James informed him. "You want a Nimbus. It's fast, great with turns, and it's a seeker's best friend!"

They were just about to go to the broom accessories when Harry tripped, falling into another kid. He was about to apologize when the kid yelled at him.

"Watch where you're going, you fool!" Harry looked up into the eyes of none other than Severus Snape. He wanted to laugh at the sight of him being inside a quidditch supply shop, but he thought better of it.

"I'm so-"

"Don't be so rude you greasy haired git!" James had cut off Harry's apology and insulted the young Snape.

"It's alright James, really. It was my fault, I should be the-"

"No, you shouldn't apologize if they're so rude like that. He doesn't deserve any apology." James' face was red with anger, directed toward Snape.

Harry put his hand on James' arm and pushed him lightly to the broomstick accessories, muttering an apology to Severus Snape before following.

"Do you know him?" Harry asked.

"No, nor would I want to," James replied. Harry turned back to find that Snape was leaving the shop.

"I recognize him from somewhere," Harry said. James gave him a questioning look, but didn't ask anything.

Just as they were exiting the shop, Euphemia and Fleamont came bearing the books they would need for the start of their term. James confronted his dad.

"Dad, Harry has no broom," he said with a small pout.

"Can you fly?" Fleamont asked.

"Oh, yeah, I normally play seeker whenever I play quidditch," Harry said.

"Euphemia, he needs a broom," Fleamont said turning to his wife.

"Oh, alright, go get him one. I'll go off to get them their potions supplies," Euphemia said, placing the books into her small bag, and Harry was immediately reminded of Hermione who had put the undetectable extension charm to good use during their hunt for Horcruxes.

Fleamont Potter led them back inside the quidditch supply shop, and directed Harry to pick out a broom. Harry made his way over to the Nimbus one thousand and five hundred, asking for it. Fleamont nodded and picked one of them up, taking it to the counter to pay.

"When we get home, we're playing quidditch," James declared, making Fleamont laugh.

They got all their supplies and went back to the Leaky Cauldron to use the floo network. Fleamont walked over to the counter where he asked a much younger Tom the bartender for four small pouches of floo powder.

 _Of course,_ Harry thought. _Floo powder costs money too._ Fleamont exchanged two galleons for the powder, and handed each of them a pouch.

"These ones are big, take what you need out of it and put the rest in the jar at home. No need to waste," he said. He gestured for James to go first, so James stepped into the fireplace.

Before he threw down a handful of the powder, Euphemia handed him her bag that held the school supplies, telling him to leave it in the floo room. James took the bag, then threw down the powder after saying "Potter Manor".

Fleamont handed Harry his new broom and Harry took it after stepping into the fireplace. He knew they'd probably stay to talk privately, or get a drink. He didn't question them as he announced the destination and threw down some powder.

"Don't put the powder in the jar!" James exclaimed as he took the half full pouch and ran off, his mother's bag still in his other hand.

"James!" Harry took off, his broom still in his hand. "James, what are you doing?" He followed him up the stairs and into the room across from his own. Quidditch team posters hung on the walls, and there were obvious joke shop items strewn across the floor.

"I've got an idea, a clever idea, and it involves the powder," James said, pointing to a parchment with words scribbled on it.

"A transportation potion?" Harry asked, trying to supress the smile that was threatening his features. He knew that James was up to no good.

"Yeah. Think about it. If we made a potion that could transport you somewhere, then we could slip it into people's drinks at Hogwarts and they'd never know what happened to them!" James said.

Harry was reminded of the coins that Hermione had bewitched when they had started the DA. _Clever_ , he thought.

"We could also use it for secret meetings," he said. "People might get suspicious if they saw us walking around Hogwarts late at night, but if we drank the potion, and it transported us somewhere, then it wouldn't be a problem."

"That's brilliant! Bloody brilliant!" James said, smiling at him. He put both pouches of floo powder into another larger bag. "This," he said, holding the bag up, "is a bag with the things I suspect will be needed for the potion."

"It's also brilliant for escape. Say somebody needed to apparate because they were in trouble, but they were too young, or didn't pass the test," Harry said. "They could use that."

"I like the way you think, twin." James smiled at him, and Harry was caught off guard at what he had said. _Twin._ He was still having trouble getting used to it. "Bucky!"

The male elf appeared with a pop, and James smiled at him. "Is floo powder toxic?" The elf looked at him for a moment before sighing.

"Master James is up to something again isn't he?" He asked in his high voice.

"Please Bucky, this time it could save lives!" James pleaded.

"Oh alright. No, floo powder is not toxic, although, it doesn't have a pleasant taste," He replied. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know what floo powder tastes like?" he asked. The elf looked at James and then back at Harry.

"Bucky's got a clumsy young master that he has to look after," he answered.

"Bucky, do you want to help us?" James asked. The house elf hesitated.

"Bucky will not help. Bucky has things to do." And then Bucky disapparated.

"Ah, well, I'm sure we can do this on our own," James pondered. Harry smiled at him and then looked over at James' bag of suspected ingredients. He was just about to ask to look inside when Fleamont Potter called upstairs.

"James, Harry, it's time for quidditch!" He said. Harry smiled and James returned it. They raced to the quidditch pitch.

* * *

 **Friday, July 30, 1971**

Harry stared up at the ceiling for a while as he lay in bed. He was slowly getting used to everything, and he was enjoying himself, but what about his birthday? Shouldn't he have the same birthday as James too? That would mean that tomorrow was no longer his day.

Picking up his wand, Harry sat himself up quietly, leaning against the headboard. He cast a lumos and looked at his surroundings. His home. His parents treated him like he was their own. His brother treated him like he really was his twin. It was his family.

He still couldn't think of a name for his owl. Surely he would have thought of something by now, but he hadn't. And he didn't want it to be some common name, like Lumos or Bob. So many people name their owls silly things like that. Maybe he would call him Gemini. Yes, the perfect name for an owl belonging to a twin.

Harry wondered what the Hogwarts professors would be like. Surely, there would be no Professor Snape to deal with, but would any of them be just as harsh? He knew for certain that Professor McGonagall would be there. He remembered Sirius talking about her. Sirius. Harry would get to know Sirius better too.

Fiddling with his wand, Harry made the shirt he had thrown at the end of his bed dance around a little bit. It soared around the bed, racing under and then over, until he heard a movement outside his door. Quickly making the shirt go back to its resting place on his bed, he shot down under the quilt, putting out the lumos on his wand.

Then the door opened and he heard scuffling noises, along with a squeak. There was whispering between two people, in high voices. It was Bucky and Becky. Of course, they probably came in to clean the rooms when everyone was either out, or asleep. Harry sat up and threw his quilt off of his face. He looked at them with mildly tired eyes.

"You don't have to clean my room. I can do it myself," he said. Bucky and Becky both froze and looked up at him.

"But, Master Harry, 'tis Bucky and Becky's job to do the cleaning," Becky replied. "Master and Mistress told us to come clean."

"Then don't tell them you didn't clean. I'll keep it clean, I promise you. They won't know the difference." Harry lay back down, and listened while they shuffled away. He pulled his glasses off and set them on his nightstand, placing his wand beside them.

Fading into sleep, he pulled the quilt over him once more and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Harry, wake up! What's wrong with you?" Harry felt someone violently shaking him, and he woke, his breathing heavy, to see a dark form looming over him. He reached and felt for his glasses, putting them on when he found them. James was sitting on his bed, looking down at him.

"Nightmare," Harry responded. James gave him a sarcastic look and Harry imagined what he was going to say.

"No, really? I couldn't tell from the screaming," James responded, oozing with sarcasm.

"I was screaming?" Harry asked. He'd never screamed from a nightmare before. This was definitely a first.

"Yeah. Mum and Dad could've heard you, you know. You'd have scared the living daylight out of them," James said, pulling back the quilt and slipping under it on the other side of Harry.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked. James looked at him with a serious face.

"I'm staying here to make sure you don't wake the whole manor next time you have a nightmare," He replied.

"I could just put up a-" He caught himself before he finished that sentence. He was going to say he could put up a silencing charm. Giving up, he sighed and took his glasses back off, falling onto his pillow once more.

* * *

 **Monday, August 16, 1971**

After having been with the Potters for almost a month, Harry began to feel right at home. He didn't celebrate his birthday, because his records said his birthday was the same as James' which was March twenty-seventh. Fleamont Potter transfigured his eyes so he could be like James, and James got glasses that looked like Harry's. Harry stared at the items scattered around him, parchment, ink, quills, books, and everything they have been working on in order to make the potion.

"Think about it. You need a handful of floo powder to transport yourself into the floo network. So it would make sense that the potion requires a handful as well," Harry explained. James looked up at him, and then nodded in agreement. He started writing things down on the parchment and Harry examined each ingredient in turn.

There were two piles in front of them. One pile contained everything they thought would be useful for the potion, such as floo powder, fluxweed, and knotgrass. The other pile contained everything they thought unnecessary for their creation, such as jobberknoll feathers. They had made much progress over the course of the month that Harry was with the Potters. Harry felt like James wouldn't have gotten this far without him. Not because James wasn't smart, but because two minds are better than one. Also because Harry had already learned all of this at Hogwarts, but James didn't know that.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Marauders Unite

* * *

 **We Will Rock You - Queen**

 _Buddy you're a young man_

 _Hard man_

 _Shoutin' in the street_

 _gonna take on the world someday_

 _You got blood on yo' face_

 _You big disgrace!_

 _Wavin' your banner all over the place_

* * *

 **Wednesday, September 1, 1971**

"Harry! Wake up! Wake up! We gotta get ready for Hogwarts!" Harry felt James pounding his fist on his arm to get him to stir. Harry sat up and reached for his glasses. Once they were on, James leapt off of the bed.

"What time is it, James?" Harry asked. He didn't feel like he had gotten much sleep. James opened up Harry's wardrobe and pulled his trunk from under his bed.

"I'm not sure. Start packing your things," James demanded. He started pulling shirts out of Harry's wardrobe.

"What are you doing?" Harry pulled the blankets off of himself, and walked around the bed to where James had thrown shirts into a sloppy pile at the foot of his bed.

"Helping you pack. Start folding. We gotta pack the same things, so that people believe we're twins." James handed Harry a blue long sleeved button up shirt and Harry folded it.

"I'm pretty sure people already believe we're twins. As long as we believe we're twins, others will too." Harry picked up another shirt, a red t-shirt, and folded it neatly, placing it in the trunk with the other shirt.

After they packed all their clothes, they stacked their textbooks inside the trunks as well. Once they got all of their parchment, quills, ink, and other supplies, they went downstairs into the dining room. The large clock on the wall showed that it was eight in the morning.

"Bucky, Becky?" Harry called quietly. There was a crack, and Becky appeared before them, her large eyes meeting Harry's, and her floppy ears twitching with nervous anticipation.

"Yes, Master Harry?" She spoke softly, her voice high, like a spoon tapping on glass.

"Can we eat now? I'm starved." At that moment, Harry felt his stomach rumble, and he knew that Becky heard it by the change in her facial expression.

"Of course, Master Harry! Becky and Bucky will get Masters James and Harry their food quickly." She rattled off into the kitchen, and James made to sit down at the table. Harry sat across from him and they waited quietly. They were both exhausted and excited, imagining their year at Hogwarts.

* * *

"James, Harry? Are you there?" They heard the call of their father from the door of the train car. They had gotten there in time to claim an empty compartment, and now they raced to meet their parents for a final goodbye.

Euphemia Potter hugged the both of them, and Fleamont squatted down to their height. The look on his face told them he meant business.

"I want absolutely NO letters from Hogwarts about your behavior. I don't want to hear about any pranks, disobedience, or any rule breaking. Are we clear?" James and Harry both nodded, and Fleamont clapped them on the shoulders, stood up, and wished them safe travels. Euphemia Potter slipped them both some galleons for the food trolley and they said their goodbyes.

James and Harry clambered onto the steam engine and made their way back to their chosen compartment. Coincidentally, it was the same compartment that Harry and Ron sat in on their first trip to Hogwarts.

"Have you tried any spells yet?" James asked Harry as they were sitting down. Harry shook his head in reply.

"You know I haven't, although, I do know the incantation for the levitation spell." Harry pulled out his wand and aimed it at James' glasses. " _Wingardium leviosa._ " The glasses moved upward, sliding off of James' face.

James stared at them while Harry flicked his wand around, compelling them to move this way and that way. When he noticed James' jealous expression, he made the glasses drop, and looked sheepish.

"I guess I lost focus," he lied. James appeared to have brightened up considerably as he lifted his glasses back onto his face. Just as he was picking up his wand, the compartment door slid open and there at the entry appeared a boy with long wavy black hair that was groomed in no particular way.

"Can I sit here?" He asked, and Harry met his eyes. Sirius Black.

"Sure," Harry and James both said at once. Sirius narrowed his eyes at them and dragged his trunk inside the compartment. James stood to help him put it on the small shelf above their heads.

Sirius and James sat down, and Harry tucked his wand back into his jacket. James followed suit and then James cleared his throat.

"I'm James. James Potter. That's Harry," He introduced himself and Harry, and Sirius made to introduce himself as well.

"I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

"Nice to meet you Sirius."

"Which one of you is older?" Sirius asked, after enduring a minute of painful silence. Harry pointed to James, just as James raised his own hand.

Not long after, Harry noticed a familiar figure move into the empty compartment next to theirs. It was Remus Lupin. Harry furrowed his eyebrows, realizing that Remus was supposed to be sitting with them, and not on his own.

"I'll be back," Harry said, standing up and leaving the compartment. He opened the door to the adjacent compartment. "Excuse me, would you like to sit with us?"

Remus Lupin looked up at him warily. Harry could see the confusion and sorrow in his eyes. He was in a bad state. It must be near the full moon. He looked pale and sickly, and it took him quite a while to respond.

"Um, I think I'm okay." He fidgeted with the worn out sleeve on his worn out shirt. Harry shook his head.

"No, you aren't allowed to sit alone. Come and sit with us." Insisting on nothing else, Harry looked Remus Lupin in the eyes, willing him to comply. He then realized that it was a matter of trust. And trust comes when a person is open with others. "My name is Harry. Harry Potter. My twin brother, James, and another boy, Sirius Black, is in the compartment. Won't you come sit with us?"

Remus Lupin hesitated again, but eventually he understood that there was no point in arguing. He picked up his trunk and followed Harry into the compartment. Just as Harry opened the door, he was pushed aside by none other than Severus Snape, who was followed by Lily Evans, his own mother. He couldn't help but stare as they moved into a different compartment.

"You're staring, Mate," Sirius stated. Harry snapped out of it and sat back down in his seat, gesturing for Remus to sit down as well.

"This is-" Harry paused, remembering that Remus hadn't introduced himself yet. Remus looked uncomfortable, but he cleared his throat to speak up.

"Remus Lupin," he stated.

"Right, and Remus, this is James and Sirius," Harry said, introducing the other two boys. Harry turned to James and spoke directly to him. "What happened just now?" Though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"The greasy haired git got all whiny when I shared my thoughts on Slytherin house. It's his problem, not mine." James pulled out a deck of exploding snap cards and invited them all to play.

For a while, they entertained themselves with exploding snap, and they even got Remus to join in for a short period of time. The cards had just exploded and then the sound was followed by a loud thud coming from outside the compartment. Five seconds later, they all heard howling laughter and stifled cries of pain. Harry got up and opened the door of the compartment. There on the floor was the one he had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with. Peter Pettigrew was sporting a broken nose, and two sixth years were sneering down at him.

This angered Harry, despite knowing what Peter would later become. He reached down and helped Peter to his feet before pulling out his wand.

"It's cowardice to bully someone smaller than you, you should know that," he said, bringing his wand up and aiming it directly at Lucius.

The two Slytherins only jeered at him and pulled out their own wands. "What can a first year do to us? I feel very threatened," Lucius said aiming his wand at Harry.

"I'd watch yourself if I were you. You don't know what I'm capable of." The sixth years laughed at this and Lucius flicked his wand. A hex shot toward him and he jerked his wand upward to block it so fast that it would've been missed if someone had blinked.

No first year should have been able to block something like that even out loud, but Harry did it silently. Lucius and the other Slytherin stood shell-shocked. Harry realised his mistake, and put his wand away quickly. He turned to find James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all staring at him with wide eyes.

Harry slipped past them silently and fell into his seat. The others followed, and Harry knew questioning was on the way. How would he justify himself without revealing the truth?

"What was that?" James demanded.

"It was nothing. I don't know what happened," Harry said. James narrowed his eyes. Harry knew he wasn't having it. But what could he say?

"James, I think that right now, we have more important matters to deal with," Remus gestured toward Peter, indicating the broken nose.

"There's an incantation for that, I just don't remember what it was," Harry said, lying to keep from making things worse for himself.

"I know what it is, I'm just not sure that any of us are qualified to perform it," Remus said, pulling out a hankie for Peter, to wipe the blood.

"We've gotta try. Here, let me give it a go." Sirius pulled out his wand, and looked at Remus expectantly.

"Maybe we should ask him for permission before trying to fix his nose, considering we don't even know how to for sure," Remus replied shyly.

"I don't mind, I just want the pain to go away." Peter held the hankie under his nose, whimpering while the blood was staining its off-white colour to a dark crimson.

"The incantation is episkey, pronounced eh-PIS-kee. The wand movement for it is a circular motion, with a flick of the wrist." Remus closed the charms book he had been reading from and look up at Sirius, who was now aiming his wand at Peter's damaged nose.

" _Episkey_ ," Sirius said, making a circular motion while giving his wrist a good flick. Harry watched Peter, and cringed as blood pooled out of his nose even quicker. Peter whimpered some more, and James handed him another handkerchief. "Sorry, Mate."

"Could I try?" James asked, and Peter nodded.

"This is a fourth year level spell, don't be discouraged if it doesn't work." Remus watched as James raised his wand. He said the incantation while moving his wand in the correct way, but nothing happened aside from the stopped blood flow.

"Well, that's an improvement." Remus turned to look at Harry. Everyone else did the same.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Could you, maybe, try to fix my nose?" Peter's face displayed such a painful, helpless look, and Harry wanted desperately to be able to ignore it. To ignore him.

"I- Uh… Well, I… I mean, I guess I could give it a try." Harry hesitated, as all eyes were on him now, and he pulled out his wand, aiming it at Peter's nose. "What was the incantation again?" He very well knew the incantation, but he didn't want them to suspect anything.

"Episkey," Remus repeated.

"Okay." Harry cleared his throat and muttered the incantation. Peter's misshapen nose fell back into place and Sirius whooped as Remus gave a satisfied look. James however, furrowed his eyebrows and glared at Harry.

"How is it, that you are so good at all of this, while the rest of us can't do a thing?" Harry shrunk back as he watched his brother redden in the face.

"I'm sorry, honestly. It's not like I knew I would be able to do it. I'm in the same boat as all of you are. I have never performed that spell before," Harry said, mad at himself for how things are going.

"Then how did you do it so perfectly?!" James was yelling now.

"I don't know. It's not a crime for someone else to get something right!" Harry yelled back. "If you want to have another go, then break his bloody nose again!" Harry stood up and stalked out of the compartment, in search of the food trolley.

When he found the trolley, he paid for cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs and took them back to another empty compartment and sulked. Five minutes later, Remus appeared in the doorway of the compartment. Silently, he sat down and opened his book.

"You know, jealousy is a normal thing," Remus stated. He didn't look up from his book, which was typical to Harry.

"I know, but he didn't need to yell at me." Harry offered Remus a cauldron cake, which he took gratefully.

"Everyone feels jealousy, and everyone reacts to it differently. I'm sure everyone in that compartment felt it. I know I did." Remus finished eating the cauldron cake and returned to his book.

Harry sat and ate more cauldron cakes, and thought about what Remus said. He handed Remus a couple of chocolate frogs, and Remus ate them gratefully. Harry knew that Remus could use the chocolate. He loved chocolate, and the older Remus offered him chocolate in his third year after the dementor attack. Chocolate helped with the after effects of a dementor attack, as well as numerous other things.

After a while of sitting in comfortable silence, a knock sounded on the glass of the compartment door. Harry looked up to see James standing apologetically. Harry acknowledged him with a nod and he opened the door.

Still opting to stand, he faced his twin. He looked like he was struggling to say the right thing. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he closed it again, deflating as he tried so hard to find words. He opened his mouth again, but he closed it once more. Harry saw his struggle and took pity on him.

"Save it for later. It's alright," he said, tossing his brother a chocolate frog. Harry stood up, tapped Remus, who flinched at his touch but stood, and then they all filed out of the compartment and into the one occupied by Sirius and Peter.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, and James, Harry, and Remus all turned their attention to him. He was directing it at Peter.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked upon sitting back in his own seat.

"He likes the Tutshill Tornadoes!" Sirius said in outrage.

"They aren't that bad!" Peter tried to redeem himself, but James intervened.

"The Tutshill Tornadoes are the worst! Harry, tell him!" He whined.

"Everybody is subject to their own opinions. Personally, I don't really like them, but if Peter does, then why don't you let him?" Harry remembered that the Tutshill Tornadoes were the exact team that Cho Chang had supported most of her life. He didn't like them one bit, but he wouldn't let them get into an argument about it.

"Th-thanks Harry." Harry ignored Peter's thank you and turned the topic around to Sirius.

"So, if you don't like the Tutshill Tornadoes, then what team do you like?" Harry asked, knowing it would probably be a better team.

"I like Bulgaria." Sirius proudly looked at Harry, and Harry smiled instantly.

"Me too!" He and James chorused. They looked at each other with a grin and everybody started laughing. The tension was gone instantly.

 **Wednesday, September 1, 1971 (Later that day)**

"This is great! We all get to share a dorm room," Sirius exclaimed, falling onto a bed carelessly. It was the same room that Harry had shared with Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Harry claimed the bed that was always his in his previous stay.

"I'll take the bed next to Harry's, then." James strode over to the bed that Harry remembered as Ron's. The memories of the past years filled inside of him, and he could hardly contain it.

Remus and Peter scurried off to lay claim to their beds, and they all sank into them comfortably. Harry lay there for a while, contemplating everything that has been happening to him. He contemplated everything that would begin to happen to him as well.

"I don't suppose any of you are into practical jokes?" James said.

Sirius made a whooping noise while pumping his fist into the air, and Peter whimpered. They all looked his way.

"What's with you, mate?" Harry asked. James and Sirius both stared at him questioningly as well. Remus, for the most part, seemed indifferent.

"I don't fancy the idea of trouble." Peter squirmed under their stares. Sirius complained.

"What's the point of having him as a roommate if he won't have fun with us? We've got to get him to snap out of it!" He demanded, sitting upright and showing a face of disappointment.

"You've got to at least give it a try, mate. Please? You won't regret it," James begged him, and Harry just narrowed his eyes at the boy in front of them. If only he had managed to learn legilimency. Then he'd know for sure what game Peter was playing. He'd know for sure if Peter had always been a traitor.

Noticing Harry's stare, Peter squirmed again, and finally, he relented. "Alright, fine. I'll try it out once, and then see how it goes."

"Alright!" Sirius cheered. James looked over at Remus just as Harry was.

"Remus, what about you?" Harry asked.

"I'd rather not get directly involved in it. Not for now, anyway." Of course, Harry understood his reasoning. Harry understood his distance. Harry understood just exactly why it would take him longer to warm up to everyone. But he also understood Remus' words.

"You said you didn't want to get _directly_ involved. Does that mean you'll still help us _indirectly?_ " He asked. James and Sirius both brightened at this question, understanding just what it meant.

"It's plausible." Remus tucked himself under his blankets and turned over on his side. Harry was too tired to change out of his clothes, so he just fell asleep as he was.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The First Exploration

* * *

 **Hold On - Jonas Brothers**

 _We don't have time left to regret_

 _And we'll take more than common sense_

 _So stop your wondering, take a stand!_

 _Cause there's more to life than just to live_

 _Cause an empty room can be so loud,_

 _There's too many tears to drown them out, so_

 _Hold on, hold on, hold on!_

* * *

 **Thursday, September 2, 1971 (2 am)**

Harry woke to find Sirius standing over him and James shaking him violently. The only one that was still asleep was Peter. Remus was handing Harry a cup of water and a small piece of a leftover chocolate frog. He'd had another nightmare. Harry was breathing heavily, and shaking.

"What happened?" Sirius asked. Harry took a sip of the water and shoved the chocolate into his mouth.

"He has nightmares a lot." James brought himself to lay next to Harry while Sirius made eye contact with Remus. Remus only shrugged and made his way over to his own bed.

"If he doesn't want to talk about it, then it would be best not to push it." Remus pulled the blankets over his head and went back to sleep. Sirius looked at James and then Harry, and back at James.

"Well, um. Goodnight then." Without another word from anyone else, he walked over to his bed and sank into it.

James turned onto his side and Harry watched as he closed his eyes and he seemed to fall into sleep easily. Harry faced his twin and watched him for a while, wishing it was that easy for him to fall out of consciousness.

After a while of not being able to sleep, Harry threw back the covers, crept out of bed, and out of the dorm room. The stairway leading to the common room was dimly lit, but he didn't want to risk anyone finding him if he lit his wand. He knew the surroundings well enough anyway. He descended the stairs slowly, entering the common room which was lit by the dim fire on the side.

He made his way to his favourite armchair and sank into it, looking into the dimmed embers of the fire. He remembered so much about being here, about sitting in this common room and talking with Ron and Hermione. It pained him. How was he to pretend that he knew nothing, when in actuality, he knew everything? Harry resolved to go to Dumbledore about it once the morning came around. Until then, he would sit in the armchair by the fire, and read a quidditch book he found lying on a table.

* * *

 **Thursday, September 2, 1971 (4 am)**

"You're up early." Harry looked up to find Remus standing in the archway that led to the stairs of the boys' dormitories. He shrugged, thinking of what to say.

"I couldn't sleep," he said. Remus took a seat in the armchair across from Harry's where Ron would always sit.

"I couldn't either," Remus replied. He looked uncomfortable, but Harry smiled warmly at him.

"Nightmares, they're really the worst, aren't they?" Harry watched Remus nod in agreement and could only wonder what kinds of nightmares Lupin had to deal with. The poor guy had his whole life ahead of him, and he got it taken away at such a young age.

Remus Lupin picked up a book from the floor and opened it. It was _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. Harry was reminded of the Deathly Hallows, and then he perked up in excitement. The invisibility cloak. Did James have it yet? When would they make the Marauder's Map? When would they officially become the Marauders?

Harry smiled. Perhaps he would have to start it off. Maybe he could pretend to discover one of the secret passages into Hogsmeade, or the entrance to the kitchens? Either way, if they didn't start exploring soon, he'd become impatient.

* * *

 **Thursday, September 2, 1971 (5:30 am)**

Soon, footsteps were being heard and Harry could see students beginning to enter the common room. He looked up at Remus, who had silently put the book back down and was beginning to stand. Harry followed suit and they went back up to the dormitories.

"Where were you? I woke up and you were gone, I was freaking out!" James exclaimed as soon as Harry walked upon the threshold.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep so I went into the common room." Harry walked over to his trunk and pulled out his uniform. He began getting dressed and James did the same. Sirius was still asleep in his bed, and Peter was blinking away the tiredness from his eyes.

When James, Harry, and Remus were dressed, James threw a pillow at Sirius. Sirius sat bolt upright and glared at James.

"Can't a man get his sleep?" He asked indignantly.

"Sure, a man can. But you're not a man yet, Mate." James smirked and Harry laughed.

"You've got years to go," Harry said.

Sirius stood up and pouted. "I am most definitely a man!"

"Yeah, and I'm the queen of England!" Harry remarked. Harry ran out of reach of Sirius as he tried to punch him and James followed him out of the room. Remus sighed, shaking his head, and he left the room without another word.

* * *

 **Thursday, September 2, 1971 (6 am)**

In the great hall, Harry and James were seated side by side at the Gryffindor table, with Remus and Sirius sitting across from them. Peter sat next to Remus. Harry looked up at the professor's table, seeing all the new (or old) faces up there. The only three professors he recognised were Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Slughorn. The rest were unfamiliar.

Where was Hagrid? Surely he'd be up there too, right? He'd already been expelled. Harry turned back to his friends and pushed the thoughts aside for the moment. He piled his plate high with eggs and toast and fruit. He poured a cup of pumpkin juice, but before he could take a sip, James took the cup and took a sip.

"Thank you Harry," James laughed and Harry decided to laugh it off as well. James poured a cup of pumpkin juice and handed it to him. Harry took it gratefully and drank from it.

Once everybody had been eating for awhile, schedules appeared for them and Sirius snatched one up and read it.

"We've got Transfiguration and Charms today," he groaned. Harry looked up at him, confused.

"What's wrong with that? We'll get to use our wands in those lessons." He took up a schedule and looked at it, realizing why Sirius had groaned.

"Oh. We have them both with Slytherin." Ever since the incident on the train, the Slytherins have been glaring at both Harry and James. They probably couldn't tell the difference between the two of them.

"At least we won't have lessons until another hour and a half," Remus commented, trying to lighten the suddenly dull mood.

"Yeah, we can go explore the castle while we're waiting," Harry said. James and Sirius exchanged mischievous grins upon hearing these words, and Harry was satisfied.

* * *

 **(6:30 am)**

Harry leaned forward silently, peering around the corner. There was nobody there. The large knight that guarded Professor Dumbledore's office was still there, looking newer than it did when Harry first got to Hogwarts. James, Sirius, and Peter were in the common room arguing about where they should explore first. Harry snuck away to speak to Dumbledore. He approached the knight, hoping he would be able to figure out the password.

Clearing his throat, he thought long and hard. "Um… lemon drop?" he said. The knight didn't budge. "Oh come on, I've got to speak to Dumbledore!"

"Mr. Potter?" Harry turned around swiftly to find McGonagall standing behind him a few feet away. Harry swallowed.

"I'm sorry Professor, I just needed to speak to-" Harry was interrupted by the professor.

"Professor Dumbledore is extremely busy, perhaps you can talk to me about whatever it is that seems so urgent." She looked directly into his eyes sternly, and Harry didn't know what to do.

"Um, no Professor, this is something I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore about," Harry argued.

"Well, then it can surely wait until another-"

"Ah, Mr. Potter, how wonderful it is to see you again. Minerva, if you don't mind." Professor Dumbledore appeared as the knight leapt to the side, and Harry turned to him with a smile. Albus Dumbledore gestured for Harry to go up the steps and Harry obeyed willingly.

Once they got to the door of the office, Professor Dumbledore opened the door and let Harry through. Dumbledore made his way around the desk and sat down. Harry stood on the other side, waiting for the professor's permission to take a seat.

"Sit, sit, what is it that troubles you?" The professor gazed through his half-moon spectacles at the boy in front of him. Harry sat down and cleared his throat.

"Well Sir, as you know, I've already been to Hogwarts before. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to contain the fact that I've already learned everything."

"Ah, you won't. It would be much easier for you to embrace your knowledge than to worry about hiding it." The professor offered Harry a lemon drop, who took it obediently.

"But Sir, what about everyone else. I'll be the top of my class and they'll all hate me for it." Harry remembered how he and Ron had felt toward Hermione in the beginning of their first year.

"I'm not asking you to be a show off Harry. What I'm saying is that you needn't worry about suppressing your ability." The professor smiled at him and then opened his mouth to speak once more. "Perhaps, you would also like to study more advanced things?"

"Like what, Professor?"

"Maybe we could tutor you privately in Occlumency, Legilimency, or both? Or if you aren't interested in any of that, you could learn to become an animagus, or we could teach you advanced defensive spells, offensive spells? Anything to keep your brain strong," the professor said, looking through his glasses, down to the boy who lived. Although, he didn't yet know just how important Harry Potter was.

"I- uh. I'll have to think about it." Harry finally placed the lemon drop in his mouth, for lack of anything else to do.

"Yes, well, please do consider it. I hope to see you become a bright young wizard. Your brother too."

With that, Harry stood up from the chair across the desk, and turned to leave the office. Before he stepped out of the door, he glanced back, thanking the professor, and then he left. He checked his watch, and sighed with relief. He had an hour left before lessons. He ran for the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

 **In The Gryffindor Common Room**

The portrait of the fat lady swung forward once Harry gave it the password, and he entered the common room to find James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus all sitting on the floor by the fire. They looked up at him and James leapt to his feet.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"I was speaking to Professor Dumbledore. But listen, I think I found the kitchens," Harry said, hoping the subject of the kitchens would drive them away from what he had said first.

"Really? How?" Sirius asked enthusiastically.

"I was on my way back to the common room when I saw Professor Slughorn coming out of this room holding a cup of butterbeer and a piece of sponge cake," Harry lied. "We can go explore there before lessons. I'll just go use the restroom right quick."

Harry didn't wait for a response as he raced up the stairway to the boys' dormitories. Once he got into their shared dormitory, he took the box out of his trunk and went into the bathroom.

He opened the box, watching as the compartments released and unfolded out over the countertop. He opened another one of the vials and brought his wand to his temple. He thought long and hard of the battle. The deaths of his friends, and the destruction on the grounds. As he replayed the memory in his head, he pulled his wand away from his temple, willing the memory to leave his head, and go with his wand. He watched as a strand of silver appeared, and he felt a weight leave his shoulders. He guided the memory into the open vial and he put the cork back over it.

He lifted the vial and watched the liquid-like fog swirl around in the small tube. He placed his wand on the glass of the vial and watched as a word appeared on it, in black: _Battle_. He put it inside the box, satisfied that he did it correctly, and closed it. He put the box into his cloak and opened the bathroom door. The others weren't in the room. He crossed the threshold to his bed, picking up a pillow and placing it underneath.

The door to the dormitory swung open. James and Sirius were there, determined looks on their faces. Harry sighed with relief, knowing that they hadn't seen him put anything under the pillow.

"How long will it take you? Hurry up already!" James whined, and Harry sighed. He stood and followed them out of the room.

Harry led them out of the common room and toward the great hall. Once they arrived in the corridor where the kitchens were located, Harry showed them where he supposedly saw Professor Slughorn come out of. He pretended not to know exactly where the opening was.

James, Sirius, and Peter set to search for the opening, and Harry leaned against the wall, his elbow touching the painting of the pear. Suddenly, the pear laughed and squirmed, and Harry turned around and watched as it transformed into a green doorknob.

"Wow, Harry! You found it," Peter said. James pulled in the doorknob and opened it to find a large kitchen full of house elves and tables placed the in the same location as the ones in the great hall.

The house elves greeted them excitedly and began offering them many different pastries and drinks. They took them willingly and shoved as many cakes and tarts into their pockets as they could fit.

Once they were satisfied, they bid the house elves farewell and left the kitchens. James went on about how Harry was brilliant and Sirius kept stuffing his face with cakes.

"How did you know how to get in, Harry?" Peter asked.

"I didn't. I just leaned on the wall, and my elbow brushed the pear painting. I had no clue it was the entrance," Harry lied again. He felt guilty about it, but he didn't let it bother him for long when he realized how happy they were.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: School Shenanigames

* * *

 **Get Home - Bastille**

 _How am I gonna get myself back home?_

 _How am I gonna get myself back home?_

 _We are the last people standing_

 _At the end of the night_

 _We are the greatest pretenders_

 _In the cold morning light_

 _This is just another night_

 _And we've had many of them_

 _To the morning we're cast out_

 _But I know I'll land here again_

* * *

 **In Transfiguration**

"Transfiguration is a more scientific branch of magic, and it is very hard work. Who can tell me what transfiguration is?" Minerva McGonagall looked around the classroom and Harry watched as her eyes fell upon the red haired girl that was his mother. Her hand was raised high and the professor nodded in her direction. "Yes, Miss Evans."

"Transfiguration is a branch of magic that focuses on on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, by the alteration of its molecular structure." Lily Evans lifted her chin up at the jeering Slytherins and turned away from them as Professor McGonagall awarded Gryffindor ten points.

"Very good. Transfiguration is one branch of magic that you would do well not to play around with." Her stern eyes landed on Harry and James, who were sitting in the back of the classroom behind Sirius and Remus. Peter sat in front of Sirius and Remus, next to Frank Longbottom. James squirmed in his chair under the stare of the professor. Harry turned his eyes away.

"Transfiguration is a largely useful branch of magic, however, it does have its own set of limitations. Can anybody tell me one of these limitations?" The professor looked over to the Slytherins' side of the room this time. A hand was raised and McGonagall nodded for the student to answer.

"The dead cannot be transfigured back to life," Severus Snape said. Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Ten points to Slytherin," the professor spoke evenly, and continued with the lecture. "This year we will learn simple transfiguration techniques and spells. As I've previously stated, Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous branches of magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You've been warned." The professor again looked over to Harry and James, and this time moved her cold stare to Sirius as well.

The professor moved among the students as she continued her speech about Transfiguration and expected behavior during classes. She eyed each of the students, making them all uncomfortable under her gaze.

"You will practice actual transfigurations during classes, and theoretical homework will be given. The further you come along into Hogwarts, the more difficult it will become. Transfiguration can be achieved by concentration, precise wand movement, and proper pronunciation." Harry let his mind wander away from the lecture as he had already heard it before. He wished Hermione was here to help him stay on track.

When he was at Hogwarts the first time, Hermione had been there to keep him in check. If he fell asleep, she'd wake him up. If he wasn't paying attention, she'd elbow him. Ron wasn't much better than he was, in fact, he must have been worse. Hermione had a load of responsibility trying to keep them from failing.

"Mr. Potter," the professor stood over James and Harry's table, causing Harry to snap out of his daydreaming.

"Yes, Professor?" the twins echoed each other, and most of the Gryffindors laughed. Harry knew the professor was talking to him, however.

"I'm sorry Professor, you have my full attention now." Harry sat up and glanced ahead of him as he noticed Lily Evans glancing back at him out of curiosity. When they made eye contact, she turned back around in her seat and didn't look back during the rest of the lecture.

Minerva McGonagall looked at the clock in the back of her room and sighed. She waved her wand over a stack of papers on her desk and they zoomed around, each one landing in front of a student.

"This is your homework, to be turned in next week, at the beginning of class. That is all the time we have for today, you are dismissed."

Harry and James shot up out of their seats just as Sirius and Remus were beginning to stand. Peter pushed his seat back and stood to face them, watching as Harry and James high fived and they headed out of the classroom.

* * *

 **On The Grounds**

Under a tree down by the lake, the five boys were lying on the grass, in the afternoon sun. Sirius was fiddling with his wand, James was toying with his glasses, which were off of his face and in his hands, Remus was reading a book, Peter was twitching and watching them with excitement, and Harry was attempting to shoot red sparks at flies. It was a relaxed afternoon as they awaited the time of their next class, which was Charms.

A fly buzzed past James' ear, and Harry kept his eyes trained on the pesky little insect. His wand was now aimed at it, a moving target that was no bigger than a fingernail.

"Ah, come on Harry, you've got this." Sirius watched Harry as he kept his wand trained on the fly. And then with a sudden flick, there was a zap, and red sparks flew. The buzzing stopped and James, Sirius, and Peter cheered. Until there was buzzing again.

"Augh! I thought I had it!" Harry complained as the buzzing drew near to his head. With a quick snatch of his hand, he caught the fly and squished it.

Sirius opened his mouth but words could not escape. James smiled brightly.

"That's definitely my brother! You could be seeker of Gryffindor team this year!" James said. Harry shook his head.

"No way, there hasn't been a first year on the team in forever. I'm not doing it. Maybe next year." Harry looked at the dead fly in his hand and wiped it on the grass. Sirius groaned.

"Oh come on! You can definitely be seeker!" He said. Harry looked down at his watch and stood up.

"Come on, it's almost time for Charms." He walked off, not looking back to see if they were following. He resolved to pull some more memories later on that night, as he didn't think he could bear to deal with the d **éjà** vu anymore.

* * *

 **Friday, September 3, 1971 (3 am)**

Harry crept out of bed, making sure everyone else was asleep first before lifting his pillow. The moonlight from the window shone over the room, and Harry instinctively looked over at Remus, who was fast asleep.

Taking the box and sliding it down his shirt as quietly as possible, he turned around, holding his shirt carefully so that the box would not fall out. He couldn't go to the common room, because he might get caught by someone there. He couldn't go into the bathroom because his friends and his brother might hear him.

Maybe he could go to the room of requirement, but he'd have to be extremely cautious. Harry tiptoed in socked feet to the door of their dormitory. A shadow passed over the window, blocking the moonlight for a second. He turned around, looking over at the window. Deciding it was only an owl, he turned away.

Creeping down the hallway and into the common room, he saw that there were no others in the room. He decided not to risk going anywhere for tonight.

Taking a seat by the fire, Harry set the box down in front of him and opened it. He lifted an empty tube out and uncorked it. Placing the cork onto the table, he picked up his wand and touched it to his temple. He focused on another memory. The one where Ron and Harry were stuck in the Malfoy basement with Luna, Ollivander, and Griphook. They heard Hermione's screams from the drawing room above and Ron was hysterical. Harry pulled his wand away from his temple and pushed the memory away from his head. The silvery strand came out along with the wand, and he guided it to the opened tube. Releasing it, he corked the vial and studied it closely. This one was smaller. The silvery liquid didn't fill up the vial as much as the memory of the battle had. Touching his wand to the vial, the words _Malfoy Drawing Room & Basement_ appeared in black on the glass of the vial. He placed the vials inside the box and picked up another empty vial.

He pictured the horcruxes. The hunt, the arguments, the packing up and moving to the next spot, he pictured it all in his head, and he pulled it out of his head with his wand. He put it into the vial and labeled it _Horcruxes._

In the distance, Harry heard footsteps. He hastily put the cork on the vial and placed the vial into the box, closing the box and dropping it down his shirt again. He leaned back into the armchair and pulled a pillow over his stomach to hide the bulge.

Lily Evans entered the common room and Harry looked up at her. She could be his friend. She looked at him warily and moved toward one of the tables nearby. He watched her pick up a book from it and then go back up to the dormitories.

Deciding that he could continue releasing his burdens later, he stood up and made his way to the boys' dormitories, his hand placed under the box to keep it from falling out.

* * *

 **Sunday, September 5, 1971**

Harry lay awake knowing that Remus was currently in the shrieking shack, most likely experiencing unbearable pain. He could hear sounds in the distance, the howling of a werewolf on a full moon. He could feel the sorrow that came through the howling. It unnerved him to think that he was experiencing it all by himself. He had gone to the hospital wing earlier that day to find Remus in there. He told him it was only a small illness, and that he should be okay in a couple of days. Harry knew what it was, but he didn't question him. Instead, he gave Remus a chocolate frog and smiled on his way out. Now he lay here, in his bed, hoping that Remus would be okay and that whatever injuries he may give himself would be able to be healed quickly and painlessly by Madam Pomfrey. Perhaps, if he learned to be an animagus, he could accompany Remus in the shrieking shack.

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 14, 1971**

Harry stood in front of Professor Dumbledore, ashamed of himself. He hadn't planned on getting caught. James, Sirius, and Peter were right next to him, shuffling their feet. It was midnight, and they had been trying to sneak around, looking for new passageways and secret rooms.

"It's a bit late for a game of hide and seek, is it not?" the professor asked. They nodded their heads slowly and the professor continued. "Very well. You should all go back to your dormitories immediately, and don't let me _see_ you up this late again."

They each nodded in agreement, and began to turn away. Before they could walk off, however, Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat. "The Gryffindor common room is the other way." They walked in the other direction and the professor watched them. "Oh and Mr. Potter." Harry and James turned around. "Harry, I mean." James gave Harry a curious look and walked away as Harry approached the headmaster.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Come with me, please." The headmaster turned and walked the opposite direction to his office. Harry followed closely behind him, eager to find out what the headmaster wanted. Once they arrived at the entrance, the professor gave the password. "Fizzing whizbees," he said.

The knight jumped aside to reveal the staircase and they went upward to his office. Once inside, the headmaster took a seat behind his desk and Harry sat across from him. Fawkes, the phoenix, made noises and Harry looked over, almost forgetting about the phoenix until that moment.

"Ah, yes. Fawkes is my-"

"Phoenix. With all due respect, I already know, Sir." Harry turned back to the professor and they looked at each other. Albus Dumbledore smiled at the boy and Harry simply looked back at him, waiting for him to speak once more.

"Have you thought about what I previously offered before?" The professor watched as Harry seemed to be dealing with an inner turmoil. A debate as to whether he should speak.

"I've tried learning occlumency before, Sir. It was unsuccessful." At his words, the professor merely smiled.

"Ah, but giving up will only make you that much more unsuccessful, Mr. Potter." He looked over at the phoenix and then continued. "It's your own choice, Harry. And it doesn't have to be occlumency."

Harry nodded, and then spoke. "I'd like to learn Occlumency and Legilimency, Sir, but I need to ask you something." The professor motioned for him to continue and he did. "What about James?"

"Ah. I see. You don't want your brother to be left behind." Albus Dumbledore looked at Harry, and then he continued. "Eventually James will learn all of this too. Or, perhaps we can find a way to teach him."

"Professor, isn't there a way you could teach all of us? James, Sirius, Remus, and I?" Harry asked.

"Maybe perhaps later on, but right now, they haven't even learned proper defense spells yet. I'd be putting them in danger if I taught them now. I'll be sending an owl to you soon, keep an eye out," the professor said, with a smile and a wink, and Harry stood.

"Yes Sir."

* * *

 **In the Common Room**

Harry arrived to the fat lady portrait, however the fat lady was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he pounded on the frame of the portrait, hoping his brother or Sirius would still be in the common room. He ignored the complaints of other portraits and continued pounding, but to no success.

Finally, the fat lady appeared just as he heard the hiss of a cat. He spoke the password and she let him in, complaining as he pushed himself through quickly to avoid trouble. When he entered the common room, he found Sirius, James, and Peter all hovering over parchment, oblivious to his entry.

"Did you not hear me knocking?" He asked angrily. They all looked up.

"What did Dumbledore want, Mate?" Sirius asked. Harry looked James directly in the eye.

"It was nothing more than him wanting to keep tabs on me. He heard the rumors about what happened on the train."

Harry settled himself down beside James and Sirius and looked down at the parchment. It had lines drawn all over it, and Harry couldn't tell what it was.

"What's this?" He asked. James and Sirius gave each other a mischievous look and then smiled brightly and proudly at Harry.

"We're developing a map of Hogwarts. You're helping us," James insisted. "You've been to Professor Dumbledore's office, so you can add that to the map."

James handed Harry a quill and ink and Harry stared down at the parchment. There were no words, and there wasn't much there.

"This is a mess. You should label what you already have, and you should work from one place to the next instead of going around to random places." He took the quill and put it down where he assumed was the great hall. He labeled it and drew the four tables inside of it the same way he remembered it to be on the Marauder's map. "From now on, let's start from our common room, and go out from there."

The other three agreed and James took another quill and started drawing in the details of what they already knew.

* * *

 **Monday, September 20, 1971**

"Flying lessons with Slytherin today," Sirius groaned loudly. James smirked over at Harry, who was pouring James' pumpkin juice into his cup.

"You know what that means, Harry?" He asked with a mischievous look.

"We get to show the Slytherins who's boss?" Harry asked. He then grabbed toast and buttered it, placing it on his dish and filling it up with more food items.

"No, you can show that Snape kid who actually belongs in the quidditch supply shop." James said.

"I'm not interested in showing off, honestly. I don't want attention." Harry took a bite of his toast and ignored their stunned stares. James cleared his throat and spoke up to his brother.

"How can you not want to show off? You're amazing at a lot of things, but you don't want to show it? How can you possibly be my brother?"

"I'd rather not make any Slytherins hate me more than they already do just because I'm a Gryffindor," Harry said, picking up his glass of pumpkin juice and drinking it.

"What kind of Gryffindor are you? Where's the fun in all that?" Sirius added.

Harry didn't answer, and instead, he got up and headed for the Gryffindor common room. As he walked through the corridor, he thought of what they had said. This is his second time at Hogwarts, he knew everything already, so why should he be worried about his education? Why shouldn't he show off a bit? He could do all the homework in record time, learn all the spells and potions faster than anyone else, all because he had already done it all. So why couldn't he just relax and let this be his second chance at having a worry-free time at Hogwarts?

As he was about to climb the stairs to reach the portrait of the Fat Lady, he came to a final conclusion. This time, he would embrace the attention, but he wouldn't let it get to his head. This time, he wouldn't worry about what anyone else thought, or what anyone else did.

Harry turned around and ran back toward the Great Hall. As he was turning a corner, he ran straight into another person.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" He looked at the person he ran into and saw that it was Lily Evans. But she wasn't alone.

"You should be sorry! Stop being so clumsy!" Severus Snape was glaring at him.

"I was apologising to her, not you," Harry said calmly, turning to the redhead. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, turning away from Harry and following Snape, who had stalked off.

Harry turned away from them, and noticed James and Sirius, who were coming toward him. He smiled at them and began to speak.

"I thought about what you were saying, and you're right. Why hide my skills when I can show the Slytherins who's boss?" James and Sirius made eye contact with each other and then smiled at Harry.

* * *

 **During Flying Lessons**

The weather held a cool breeze in the air, with minimal clouds in the sky. It was perfect weather for flying, Harry noted. He stood beside a broom in a line with the rest of the Gryffindors, his twin on his left hand side, Sirius on his right hand side, Remus on the right of Sirius, and Peter on the left of James. They were waiting for instructions from Madam Hooch.

"Put your left hand over your broom and say 'up!' Remember to not show fear, because the brooms can sense it," Madam Hooch walked up and down the two lines as the Gryffindors and Slytherins did as they were told. "Once you have your broom in your hand, grip it firmly and mount it. Do NOT push off until I say so."

Harry did as he was told, and his broom was one of the first to reach a hand. James and Sirius had their brooms pretty quickly, and Remus had his too. James was trying to help Peter, whose broom was being quite stubborn.

Once everyone had mounted their brooms, Madam Hooch gave them all instructions to lift up a few inches from the ground, and then lightly touch back down at the sound of her whistle. When the whistle blew, everyone did as they were told, however, a certain Gryffindor by the name of Peter Pettigrew lost control of his broom.

"Mr. Pettigrew come down this instant!" Madam Hooch called. Peter wobbled on his broom and it took a sharp turn to the right, dove steeply toward the ground, and then shot upward.

"Not this again," Harry muttered, re-mounting his broom and shooting up to where Peter was freaking out.

"Mr. Potter get down this instant!" Madam Hooch yelled. Harry ignored her request and continued to go after Peter.

"Mr. Potter!"

"I'm doing you a favor Professor!" Harry called back as he reached Peter's broom. "Peter get on!"

Peter looked over at Harry's face and Harry could instantly see the fear in his eyes. Peter didn't trust him. Harry grabbed Peter's wrist and Peter jumped onto Harry's broom. He could hear the voices from the crowd of first years below, but he ignored it. Once Peter was on Harry's broom and they were heading for the ground, Madam Hooch summoned Peter's abandoned broom and it flew into her hand.

James rushed to meet Harry as they landed safely on the ground and he high fived him. Madam Hooch gave Harry a look and then turned to make sure Peter was okay. The Slytherins looked angry as most of the Gryffindors praised Harry.

"Mr. Potter, that was dangerous, what you did," Madam Hooch reprimanded Harry.

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't know for sure I could do it. I'm sorry," Harry replied calmly. The professor looked down at him with tight lips and a stern expression.

"I'm going to have to give you a detention, Mr. Potter. Saturday evening, I'll let you know when and where you will be serving it within the next day."

James and Sirius shared indignant looks but Harry didn't argue.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Fun and Games and Suspicion

* * *

 **Something Big - Shawn Mendes**

 _Play the lotto you might win it.  
It's like 25 for life so you bust out of prison.  
Something's in the air, something's in the air  
It's like that feeling when you're just about to kill it,  
Take your last shot you know you're gonna hit it.  
Somethings in the air, somethings in the air_

…

 _It's like that feeling when you're 'bout to win the medal,  
And you worked so hard that you knew you wouldn't settle,  
Hands are in the air, hands are in the air._

* * *

 **Monday, October 4, 1971**

Harry sat in the hospital wing, waiting for Remus to wake up. At night he would be led to the Whomping Willow, where he would then go to the Shrieking Shack to prepare for the full moon. Right now, it was early morning and breakfast would take place in an hour and a half. Remus had told them he wasn't feeling well last night, and that he was going to go to see Madam Pomfrey. The others didn't question him because he looked dreadful.

Harry was seated beside Remus' hospital bed, looking out of the window at the nearly full moon. There were no others in the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight. He heard Remus toss beside him and he turned his head to find the young werewolf staring straight at him.

"What are you doing in here?" Harry could hear the panic in Remus' voice.

"I just thought I'd come in and see how you were feeling," Harry said. "You've been getting sick pretty often."

"I'm fine. It's nothing a couple of days of rest can't fix." Remus was glaring at Harry now, and Harry understood why.

"Listen, we're friends right?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Remus replied, taken aback by the question.

"Then why don't you trust me?" Harry asked. Remus looked straight at Harry with wide eyes showing nothing but fear. Harry felt bad for taking it so far, but he needed to find a way to show Remus that he could be trusted. Harry knew Remus needed to open up to them more. It wasn't that Harry wanted him to reveal that he was a werewolf, because Harry knew that wouldn't happen until third year. Harry just wanted Remus to know that he had friends.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know about you," Harry began. "But I find that embracing my problems is the best way to cope with them. You can't change the past, but you can change your attitude toward it." Harry stood up. "We're marauders, are we not? Doesn't that mean that we're more than just friends? Shouldn't you be able to rely on us?" He turned to the door and walked away. Remus didn't say anything as he left the hospital wing.

* * *

 **Saturday, October 9, 1971**

"See, there's our dorm right there. And then the other dorms are all along this hall. The girls dormitories are over here, and then here is the stairs that lead down to the common room," Sirius was pointing to each place as he spoke and the other marauders were listening to him.

"I still don't understand how you know for sure the other dorms are the same," Peter said. He looked at the drawing of each dorm room, his eyes following each bed as they were all placed the same. They all looked just like their own dorm room.

"Mate, we're in a tower. We're all Gryffindors. There's not much room for diversity if you ask me. They'll have the same red and gold decorations, as well as the same furniture placement simply because of the layout of the rooms," Sirius said, continuing his miniature tour. "Okay so then, there's the common room, the entrance, and then go down this hallway right here to the left." Sirius paused as the others took in the information. Harry already knew how the map would look, and he was pleased to see that it was coming along magnificently.

"Down this hallway are the bathrooms, some empty classrooms, and not much else that's important," Harry picked up the tour. "However, if you turn down this corridor on the right, you come across the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, which is right across from the room of requirement."

The marauder's map didn't show the room of requirement, or the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus all looked up at Harry with questioning stares.

"I haven't drawn the tapestry yet, but see, I can't draw the room of requirement, because it's not always there. Haven't you guys seen it yet? I found it a few days ago." Remus nodded at Harry's words.

"I haven't seen it for myself, but I've read about it in _Hogwarts, a History_. It's also known as the come-and-go room," he said.

"Okay, so anyways, through this way, and over here, is where the astronomy tower is," James said. They spent the next twenty minutes going over what they already had down, and then drawing places they had recently discovered. The marauder's map was almost halfway finished being drawn.

Harry smiled down at the map, which he knew would come in handy in the future.

* * *

 **Saturday, October 16, 1971**

"It's not as hard as you're making it, Harry. You're doing well, you just have to let it come to you," Albus Dumbledore was instructing Harry with occlumency, a skill that would have been good for him during the second wizarding war.

"I'm trying, really I am. But as soon as you get to the bigger memories it's like I've lost control," Harry replied, his tone seeping with aggravation that he hasn't improved one bit within the past few weeks.

"That's the problem, Harry. You're trying too hard, and then once it comes time for you to guard the most important memories and thoughts, you lose your energy," the professor said, handing Harry a piece of candy and allowing him a short break.

"Let's try it again," Harry said. The look on his face showed his determination, and the professor smiled.

" _Legilimens,"_ Dumbledore said. Harry felt the force of the professor's magic hit him. He built up his defense, repeating the process every time the professor seemed to be able to get through. Suddenly, there was a push, and Harry knew the professor had gotten through.

Before Harry could figure out what the professor was seeing, Albus Dumbledore pulled himself out of Harry's mind.

"Professor?"

"I'm treading dangerous water with you, Harry." By the look on the professor's face Harry could tell that Albus Dumbledore saw something that he shouldn't have seen.

"Sir, what was it that you-"

"Ah, Harry, nothing to worry yourself over. I didn't see much before you blocked it from me," the professor said.

"I blocked it?" Harry was taken aback, as he hadn't realised that he had used occlumency.

"Yes. It's amazing what we can do without trying. I do believe you've got occlumency down pat now." The professor picked up a lemon drop and popped it into his mouth.

"How can I possibly have occlumency down? I'm still struggling with it," Harry said doubtfully.

"Ah but I believe something moved in you. Like how a clogged toilet gets unclogged," the professor said. "You push it until you break through."

Harry cringed at the image that his mind produced from the professor's words, and he stood. He turned to Dumbledore before making his way to the door.

"Thank you, Professor. I'd like to learn legilimency next." Harry moved to the door as the professor said for him to await his next owl. He left the room and made his way down the stairs.

* * *

 **Thursday, October 21, 1971**

Professor Flitwick, much younger-looking and still very short, stood on top of his stack of books and surveyed the classroom of raised hands. His eyes fell on Harry and he smiled. Harry showed much promise so far, as he was able to perform the charms flawlessly, and he could answer every question correctly on the occasions that he wasn't goofing around with his brother and Sirius.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, what is the difference between _Lumos_ and _Lumos solem_?" The professor asked.

"The difference is that _Lumos_ lights the tip of the wand, and _Lumos solem_ creates a narrow but bright beam of light," Harry answered carelessly. James smirked when Gryffindor was awarded points and the Slytherins groaned.

"Alright, now, I know we haven't gone over practicals on these charms, but would you be willing to attempt it for the class?" Professor Flitwick asked, his voice squealing.

"Of course, Professor," Harry lifted his wand and made a show of clearing his throat. He saw Lily Evans, who, along with the other Gryffindors and a few curious Slytherins, had turned around to watch. She rolled her eyes and glared at him, obviously upset that she didn't get called on.

" _Lumos_ ," Harry said, waving his wand around to make sure everybody saw that it had successfully been lit. He then pulled his wand back down and cleared his throat again. " _Lumos solem_." He pointed the beam of light upward and some of the Gryffindors cheered. He took the time to look over at Lily and wink, knowing it would make her mad. The glare she sent his way would've have destroyed him if only looks could kill. She turned around in her seat and he put out the light.

"Excellent! Amazing work Mr. Potter! Ten points to Gryffindor." Professor Flitwick then instructed the class to practice the two charms individually.

"Nice going, Mate. You're the top of the class, and you've made Evans jealous," Sirius whispered over to him. Harry smiled and glanced over at James, who was frowning in Lily's direction.

"What's wrong, Jamie?" Sirius asked.

"Since when do you get to call him Jamie? I'm his brother, I gave him that name, only I can call him that!" Harry said.

"But I'm his best friend!" Sirius whined.

"I'm his twin! I beat you!" Harry argued.

"Will you both shut up?" James growled.

"Seriously, James, what's gotten into you?" Sirius asked, elbowing him in the side.

"Nothing," James said.

"It's not nothing, Mate." Remus finally joined the conversation. Although, to make it seem as though he was still on task, he switched between the Lumos charm and the Lumos solem charm every few seconds.

"We can talk about it more later. I want to accomplish something." James ignored their complaints and continued to practice the two given charms.

After about ten minutes of practicing, Professor Flitwick called their attention once again. He stood up on the mountain of books at his desk and faced the classroom of students.

"I see you've all gotten the hang of those two charms pretty quickly, as I knew you would. For the remainder of the class, I'm going to go over the next charm with you. Who can tell me what spell makes fire?" The small professor asked, surveying the room as hands shot into the air. "Yes, Miss Evans."

"Incendio is the spell that makes fire, Sir." The redhead spoke proudly and then turned back to look at Harry. Harry took this moment to roll his eyes mockingly at her, making her mad.

"Ah yes, good job, Miss Evans!" The professor looked around and his eyes landed on James. "Mr. James Potter, would you like to try the spell?"

"Uh, yes, Sir. What am I setting on fire?" James asked.

"Ah, good question. How about this," The professor summoned a large candle with a fat wick and used the levitation spell to send it to James' table.

James lifted his wand and cleared his throat, concentrating on the candle. " _Incendio!_ " He said, pointing the wand directly at the end of the wick. A large flame shot from the wand, and it hit the wick directly, burning it fiercely until it finally got under control.

"Great work, Mr. Potter!" The professor squeaked.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry and James both spoke and then laughed, along with the other Gryffindors. Sirius nudged James and whispered to him.

"Looks like Evans isn't the only one that can't stand you now, Mate." Sirius motioned toward the Slytherins where one Slytherin in particular was glaring at the twins. Severus Snape huffed and turned away.

* * *

 **Thursday, October 21, 1971 (In the Evening)**

Harry, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all sat in the Gryffindor common room, on the floor gathered around the marauders map by the fireplace. They were adding more to it when they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Harry and James both turned around at the same time, Sirius, Remus, and Peter following suit.

Lily Evans stood over them with her eyes narrowed at the parchment on the floor. They all stood up to face her, and Sirius caught her stare. He snatched up the map, shoving it into his pocket.

"I'd like to know how you two are already so great at the spells that nobody is supposed to have learned," she said to the twins.

"Really? You're mad at us for doing well in our lessons? The spells are so easy, it's not like you even have to try," Harry complained. James elbowed Harry in the ribs and spoke up.

"You're a brilliant witch, why are you mad at _us_ for being good? You're probably better at it than we are." He watched as she crossed her arms.

"I am not mad, I'm just-"

"Jealous," Sirius interrupted.

"I was going to say curious. Besides, you should stay out of it. Last time I checked, you weren't the one that demonstrated incendio," Lily argued.

"Oh but I can, if you'd like." Sirius winked at her and pulled out his wand.

"I would _not_ like." Lily said. Sirius ignored her response and aimed his wand at the fireplace, where the fire was dim.

" _Incendio!_ " He said, watching the fire shoot out of his wand. The fire in the fireplace shot up and it grew warmer by the young Gryffindors.

"Good job! Brilliant! I don't really care, _honestly!_ " Lily growled and stormed off.

"OBVIOUSLY YOU DO SINCE YOU WERE THE ONE TO BRING IT UP!" Sirius yelled after her.

Harry, Sirius, and Peter shared a laugh at this, but Remus looked at James who was staring off at the staircase where Lily had stormed to.

"Are you alright, Mate?" Remus asked. James nodded.

"I'm fine," he huffed.

"Oooh Jamie's in love!" Harry mocked.

"I am _not!_ " James argued.

"Mate, it's obvious. You've fallen hard for a certain redheaded fury," Sirius joined in.

"I have not fallen in love with anyone! You're all mad," James growled.

"We may be mad, but you're _madly_ in love," Harry said, jumping out of the way of James' fist, and turning to run as he chased him up the staircase leading to the boys' dormitories.

* * *

 **Thursday, October 28, 1971**

Harry, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all sat huddled in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room. There was a lot of talk of the upcoming Quidditch game among some of the Gryffindors, and others talked about the upcoming Halloween feast. The marauders, however, were planning the upcoming Halloween prank. In hushed voices they all argued about the best method.

"No, that's dumb, everything already floats, remember?" Sirius reprimanded Peter's idea of making the decorations float.

"I have an idea," Harry said. They all turned to him, waiting. "We can use the softening charm to make the floors and the benches rubbery, and then the entire great hall will be made into a bounce house."

"What's a bounce house?" James asked.

"A bounce house is a temporary inflatable structure that is rented for parties and festivals, used by muggles for recreational purposes," Remus answered.

"That's brilliant! There's only one problem." Sirius picked up his wand from the small table that they were seated around. "We haven't learned the softening charm yet. We're still going over the incendio charm because _someone_ can't get it right." He glared over at Peter, who shrunk in his chair and muttered apologies.

"That's okay. It's in our textbooks. We can learn it on our own." Harry reached down to pick up his school bag from the floor. He went through it and found his charms textbook, dropping it on the table with a small slam.

"Great! Do you think we can get it mastered in two days, though?" James asked.

"It's a simple spell. If we managed to master incendio, then the softening charm won't be so hard to master," Remus replied.

"Um, guys, what about me?" Peter asked. "I haven't mastered incendio yet."

"We'll find something for you to do. We'll need a lookout, of course," Harry assured him, opening the textbook to the page with the softening charm.

"It doesn't look too hard, really. The movement is just an S shape, and the incantation is _Spongify_ ," Harry stated. "Let's try it on the book."

Sirius and James eagerly lifted their wands up, and Harry closed the hardcover book. Peter simply watched as they each tried it out.

" _Spongify_ ," Sirius muttered, pointing his wand at the book. A pink light was emitted from the wand, and Harry moved to touch the cover. It was still hard.

"Nope. But you're on the right track, the book said the light was supposed to be pink." Harry nodded his head in James' direction for him to try.

" _Spongify,_ " He said, pointing the wand at the book and watching it emit the same pink light. Harry touched the book cover and pressed on it. It concaved under his touch and Sirius whooped a bit too loudly. Harry looked up at the other Gryffindors in the room, who were all looking at their group now.

"Oops," Sirius said. A group of first year Gryffindor girls were staring at them, among which was Lily Evans. She stood up and Harry took that as their cue to leave. He swiped the spongy book back into his bag and stood, Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter all following suit. They walked right past her and hurried up to the boys' dormitories.

"That was close," Sirius said, shutting the door to their shared dorm and locking it.

"Shall we continue?" Remus said. Harry pulled out another textbook and Remus pointed his wand at it. " _Spongify_." His wand emitted the pink light, and it hit the book. James reached for the book and felt it.

"You did it, Mate!" He said, punching the book to demonstrate its bounciness. Harry picked up the book and smiled. He took out the next book, his transfiguration textbook, and tried the spell himself.

" _Spongify_ ," He said, pointing his wand at the book. A pink light shot out and hit the book square in the center and James went for it.

"It's bouncy," he said. "Sirius, try again."

"On what?" Sirius asked.

"Let's try the floor. That is, after all, what we're going to be doing it on in the great hall," Peter said.

"Ahh, for once! Peter has a great idea!" James said jokingly.

"Hey! I have plenty of good ideas!" Peter complained.

"It's okay Mate, I was joking." James clapped him on the back and watched as Sirius aimed his wand at the floor.

" _Spongify_ ," he said. The pink light shot out at the floor and they all watched as it concaved. They cheered as they sunk into it and started jumping up and down. It really was like a bounce house.

"This is going to be a fun prank!" James said. "Nice going Harry!" They bounced around for awhile as they discussed their plans for the upcoming prank.

* * *

 **Sunday, October 31, 1971** **(7 am)**

"So, Peter will be sitting on the steps leading down to the great hall, he'll have his charms textbook with him so it'll look like he's studying," Sirius said.

"And if he sees anyone, he'll use the lumos solem charm to shoot a bright beam of light into the great hall and warn us," James continued.

"Meanwhile, we'll be in the great hall, Sirius will be standing close to the entrance in case Peter can't see someone, but he'll be by the Slytherin table, so he can put the softening charm on it," Harry said.

"I'll be placing the charm on the Ravenclaw table, James will take the Hufflepuff table, and Harry will put the charm on the Gryffindor table," Remus said carefully.

"And then, as you're leaving the great hall, Harry will turn, charm the floor, and then we'll run down the left corridor to get to the common room that way," Peter said.

"Brilliant," Sirius whispered. They pulled away from their small huddle and turned to the dorm room door. They were all silent, and Harry and James exchanged glances.

"LAST ONE OUT HAS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IF WE GET CAUGHT!" James yelled, but Harry had already started leaping to the door on the other side of the room. James leapt on the bouncy floor after him. "No fair!"

Sirius and Remus followed them, and Peter joined in. Harry and James both got out first, and Sirius came second. Remus and Peter were side by side until Peter miscalculated his jump and hit the wall.

"Why do I always have to be the one to take the blame?" Peter whined, rubbing his head and his shoulder where he hit.

"You're just not fast enough, Mate. That's okay, you'll get it one day," Remus said.

They all headed downstairs to the common room and toward the exit. They were beginning to run late for breakfast.

* * *

 **Sunday, October 31, 1971 (5 pm)**

Peter was situated comfortably on the steps outside of the great hall. He had his charms textbook open on his lap, and his wand in his right hand. His was practicing the softening charm on a stick he had brought in from the grounds earlier, but so far he had no luck. Sirius was standing a few feet away from the Slytherin table, by the entrance to the great hall.

Remus was further down, by the Ravenclaw table, while James stood by the Hufflepuff table and Harry stood at the other end by the Gryffindor table. At the same time, they all muttered the spell and walked slowly toward the tables to test them. Satisfied, they began running toward the entrance.

Peter stood up and closed his book, dropping the stick and putting his wand in his pocket. They all ran, Harry pausing to turn back and charm the floor.

" _Spongify!"_ The floor concaved slightly under the weight of the tables and Harry turned back to run. Before he could, however, he saw somebody in the distance.

 _I can't run now, they'll see me,_ he thought. Panicking, he ran back into the great hall and slid into a corner picking his wand up and touching it to the top of his head. Wordlessly, he disillusioned himself and stood back up. He knew his knowledge would come in handy.

He silently and slowly made his way out of the great hall, easing himself along the wall and watching out for whoever was at the top of the stairs. He couldn't make out the person, because their back was to him. But whoever it was, they were talking to someone or something.

Harry stood stock still as the figure moved aside to reveal another person. A redheaded person. Lily Evans pushed past Severus Snape angrily and took the stairs two at a time.

"Lily, I didn't mean it like that!"

"I don't care how you meant it Severus!" Lily said, walking right past Harry and down the corridor that James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus had taken just about ten minutes ago. Harry saw the hurt look on the pale Slytherin's face as she disappeared.

At the end of the hallway, Harry could see a taller person walking his way. When it got close enough, Harry knew he would need to leave quickly. Albus Dumbledore was about thirty paces away when Harry started to move. He inched along the wall slowly and carefully, hoping he wouldn't get caught. Holding his breath, he turned the corner and backed away. The professor turned in his general direction, smiled and winked, and then continued walking.

Harry took in a breath, not understanding how the professor could possibly have known he was there. He had been told before that he was outstanding with disillusionment charms. That he was nearly completely invisible. He turned away from where the professor previously stood and ran down the corridor.

Before reaching the common room, Harry took away the disillusionment charm and stuck his wand into his robes. He walked on to face the portrait of the fat lady, although he was still lost in thought, wondering how on earth the old professor knew he was there.

The fat lady cleared her throat. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to tell me the password?" She said.

"Oh, sorry. Cor fortium," Harry said absentmindedly. The portrait swung open and Harry stepped inside. As soon as he walked in, Harry was surrounded by the other marauders.

"What took you so long?" James asked.

"We thought you might have gotten into trouble," Peter said.

"Dumbledore was coming down the corridor. I had to hide until it was clear." Harry looked curiously around the common room for Lily. She had seemed extremely upset by whatever it was that Snape had said. The young redhead was nowhere to be found.

"Well, we have about forty-five minutes until people will start heading to dinner. What'll we do until then?" Peter asked.

* * *

 **October 31, 1971 (At the Halloween Feast)**

The marauders were of the first Gryffindors to arrive. Already there were a few Hufflepuffs bouncing around in the great hall, along with a couple of first year Ravenclaws and second year Slytherins. The five marauders joined in their share of the fun as others were entering.

Eventually, the great hall was filled with jumping students cheering and laughing, and no professors had yet arrived on scene. Harry looked around the great hall at everyone and found that not everyone was having fun. Lily Evans was sitting down on a bench at the Gryffindor table, frowning at all of the jumpers and trying to keep herself up on the unstable seat. Harry looked around until he saw that Severus Snape was doing almost the same. Harry stopped jumping, and James threw him a questioning glance.

Harry motioned for James to follow him as he approached the girl that Sirius had dubbed the red headed fury. They both sat on either side of her facing the opposite direction and leaning their elbows on the table. Their weight had caused the table to sink even lower, and Lily went wide-eyed, fearing collapse.

"Come on Evans, why aren't you jumping? It's pretty fun," James said. Lily rolled her eyes and glared at James.

"Go on then, Potter. Don't let me ruin it for you," She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ah, but Evans, we can't let you miss out on all the fun," Harry replied.

"I'm fine sitting right here, but thank you for your concern," She retorted dryly.

"All this hard work gone to waste, what a shame," James complained.

"You did this?" Lily asked in anger.

James crouched forward and jumped into the air and backward, squatting on top of the table in front of her. "Never said that, now did we?" He smirked and then leapt off of the table, causing it to bend and move and making Lily work even harder to hold herself up.

"Sorry you had to miss it," Harry said, leaping up after his brother and joining back in on all the fun. It came to an abrupt end, however, when Professor McGonagall approached the threshold. The look of aggravation was clear on her face.

"Stop it, all of you!" She shouted, using the amplifying spell to make her voice loud among the yelling students.

Suddenly nobody was bouncing anymore and nobody was smiling. The professor pointed her wand at the floor.

" _Solidis,_ " She said, repeating the process for each of the tables. The ground was no longer soft, and the tables no longer sank under the weight of the few students who had refused to join in on the fun.

She made her way to the Professors' table, followed by Albus Dumbledore, who had entered the room not too long after she did. He looked in Harry and James' direction and smirked at them.

Harry and James high fived and then Sirius exchanged high fives with the two of them as well. Remus looked on at the other marauders, watching as they laughed and high fived each other.

Everybody sat down at their tables and Harry sat beside Remus. After their first few weeks of being at Hogwarts, Harry and James and gotten into the habit of pouring each others' drinks and today was no different. James poured a glass of pumpkin juice and put it in front of Harry, and Harry did the same for James.

"You two are really close," Remus observed.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Harry replied, watching James and Sirius as they made jokes and ate their food.

"But you're different." Remus looked between James and Harry and suddenly James was listening too.

"All siblings are," Sirius chimed in. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I'm just observing," Remus said in defense. Harry gave Remus a meaningful look and then they all went back to joking around.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Christmas Holidays

* * *

 **Free - Switchfoot**

 _I've got my back against the wall  
But I still hear the blue sky call  
The chains that hold me back inside  
Are the prisons of my mind  
Free, come set me free  
Down on my knees  
I still believe  
You can save me from me_

* * *

 **Sunday, December 19, 1971**

"Sir, do any of the other professors aside from you and Madam Pomfrey know about me?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry. Although, eventually they will find out, assuming they are all still here when it comes time for your first time at Hogwarts." Albus Dumbledore looked directly at Harry Potter. "Now, Mr. Potter, I must emphasize the importance of your secrecy to your friends. Tomorrow, you will leave to spend your Christmas holidays with your family. You may be relaxed, but you must always keep your guard up."

"Yes, Sir. Do my parents know? About me?"

"They don't know as much as you've told me, but they know the basics. I've already been given their word that they will not repeat it to anyone, not even James. It's up to you now," the professor said.

"What do I say when James gets curious about where the heck I even came from?" Harry questioned the old man.

"You say you don't remember and that you must've been obliviated. It's not hard, Harry," Albus told him. Then there was a tap on the window, and Harry looked over to find Gemini there, bearing a letter. He stood up and moved to open the window.

"Hey there, Gemini. Is this for me?" He held out his arm and the owl landed on it obediently, dropping his letter into his hand. The owl flew off into the night and Harry closed the window.

"What is it?" the professor asked curiously.

"It's a letter from my parents addressed to James and me. I'm going to wait to read it with him." Harry moved back to sit with Dumbledore.

"Harry, what's been bothering you? I've noticed a faraway expression on your face for some time now." The professor shifted in his seat to get more comfortable.

"Remus suspects that something is different about me," Harry stated.

"Ah. Remus has his own burdens to bear as well, it's only fitting that he be able to detect when someone close to him is hiding something," Albus said.

"Professor, I already know what Remus is hiding, but what do I do when he finds out about my secret? It's only a matter of time, he's bloody brilliant."

"Remus has a good heart. He understands the need for privacy. If he finds out, I'm sure he won't reveal it to anyone else." The professor stood up. Harry stood too, the letter in his hand.

"Remus is a werewolf," Harry said. He already knew that Professor Dumbledore was aware of it. But he wanted to make sure Professor Dumbledore knew he was aware of it.

"I know," said the professor. "But he can be trusted."

"I know," Harry replied.

* * *

 **Monday, December 20, 1971**

"Harry, James, I can go to yours for the entire holiday!" Sirius informed them excitedly. "I just got the letter from my mum."

"My mum won't let me," Peter said dimly. "She's upset about me being placed in Gryffindor."

"Oh, that's too bad, Peter. What about you Remus, are you coming?" Harry said.

Remus looked at him and gave a small smile. "Of course, but only until the twenty-ninth. My mum wants to see me."

"Yeah! That's great, we'll have a blast!" James cheered. "It's a shame you can't come, Peter."

"Yeah," Peter said gloomily.

"Cheer up, Mate, we'll send you a present." Sirius picked up his packed trunk and led them out of the dormitory.

They faced some complications on the path toward the carriages when they heard a voice behind them.

"You think you're so clever, Potter. Playing pranks, sneaking around, getting detentions, and yet, somehow, still earning loads of points for your house," the marauders turned around to find a group of four older Slytherins standing with their wands out, the speaker being the sixth year, Lucius Malfoy. "I do believe it is rather unjust."

"That's a shame, isn't it, then? Life isn't fair, Malfoy." Harry said, him and James both pulling out their wands at once. Sirius followed suit.

"What do you think you can do? You're only a first year." Lucius Malfoy lifted his wand and readied himself.

Harry breathed inward. This was the last time he would let Malfoy believe he was weak. This was the last time he would tolerate older Slytherins instigating fights with younger Gryffindors. He stared straight at the platinum-blonde haired Slytherin.

"I know more than you think," he said.

"Guys, just ignore them. We'll be late getting to the train," Remus said.

"You're right, Remus. I won't waste my time on people like them," Harry said. He turned away, but he kept his wand up. Remus and Peter turned to head toward the carriages, and Sirius turned too. Harry, out of the corner of his eye, watched the Slytherins. The other marauders were eventually far enough away, but James stayed. "Let's go, James."

"Fine." James turned away as well and walked up the hill that was ahead of them.

"I thought you were smarter. You left yourself vulnerable," Lucius said.

"I'm not vulnerable if I can defend myself." Harry lifted his wand and Lucius aimed his.

" _Affligo,"_ A light shot out of Lucius' wand and Harry brought his up, instantly, and silently blocking it, sending his own attack. Lucius, unable to block it quickly enough, took the blow, getting sent back several feet into the air and landing on his back. Harry then ran toward the hill in which James had disappeared, avoiding the other three Slytherins' hexes and curses.

"Where's James?" Harry said, breathless, as he caught up to the other three marauders. They turned to him and Sirius spoke up.

"We thought he was with you," he replied.

"I thought he had gone ahead and caught up with you all." Harry turned around, looking this way and that, for his brother. The carriages were coming one by one and leaving one by one to take them all to the train station in Hogsmeade. "James!"

"James! Mate, where are you?" Sirius called out.

Harry continued turning, pacing around in circles, calling out for his brother. "JAMES!" He said, he turned again, and ran smack into his twin.

"WHAT?" James yelled back, right in his brother's face.

"Where were you?" Harry asked.

"I was talking to Evans," he replied.

"Really?" Sirius asked, a smirk playing on his face.

"What?"

"Jamie likes Evans!" Harry teased. He avoided a punch from his brother and then noticed the hurt look on James' face. "Oh come on, Jamie, I was only joking."

"No, it's not that," James said. He glanced at Remus, Peter, and Sirius, and then gave Harry a meaningful look. Harry wished that at that moment he could've read his mind, because he had no idea what sort of message James was trying to send. Of course, Harry now knew legilimency, but he was warned against using it unless it was an emergency.

They boarded the next carriage and were all quiet until they got to the station. When they chose an empty train compartment, the one they were in on their first train ride to Hogwarts, they all sat down and began talking.

"Really, somebody needs to do something about those egotistical Slytherins. They think they're so much better than everyone else, and then when somebody stands in their way, they get angry and jealous," Sirius said. "It's not fair to those who actually want to do well."

"It's best just to ignore them. They don't deserve our attention anyway," Remus replied. He had his nose in a book, but Harry knew well that he was still listening. Harry pulled out a textbook of his own, and opened it up.

" _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1?_ Harry, it's the holidays, I can expect that Remus would study, but you?" Sirius asked.

"Not studying, learning," Harry replied simply.

"Learning what?" Peter asked.

"The locking charm. So I can keep people out of my private things," Harry answered.

"Harry, wouldn't they be able to get in still if they knew the unlocking charm?" Remus entered the conversation.

"Not if I somehow create my own locking spell that's stronger." Harry continued looking at the pages of his book, which were guarded from their eyes, and contained not a locking spell, but notes that Professor Dumbledore gave him on their next topic. He was to study them closely and carefully at any chance he got. This next topic was a very serious one.

Beside him, Remus read _Hogwarts: A History_. Across from him, James, Sirius, and Peter played exploding snap. Suddenly, James stood up.

"I'm hungry, Harry, want to go find the trolley? Anyone else want anything?" he said. Harry closed his book and placed it inside his schoolbag, standing up.

"Can you bring me some cauldron cakes, licorice wands, and chocolate frogs?" Sirius said, handing James some money.

"Can you get me some chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties?" Peter asked. He handed them some money as well, and then they turned to Remus.

"Some pumpkin juice and a couple of chocolate frogs," Remus said, handing them a few galleons. Harry and James made their way out of the compartment, in search of the trolley.

"What can I get for you, my dears?" It was the same witch that was on the train when Harry first came, but she was younger and not as plump as she was before.

"Chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, licorice wands, pumpkin pasties, and pumpkin juice," Harry said.

"Make that two more pumpkin juices," James added. They handed the witch all of the money and she gave them small bags to hold it all, as well as glass bottles in which held the pumpkin juice, magically kept cool.

They began to walk back to their compartment, but before they arrived, James opened the door to another empty one, and pulled Harry inside.

"We need to talk," James said to his brother.

"Why? What's wrong?" Harry replied.

"I wasn't talking to Lily Evans earlier. I found a hiding spot and watched you defend yourself against Malfoy," James said, fiddling with his hands nervously.

"Oh. Listen, James, I-"

"I just want to know where you came from. How do you know things that nobody else should know as a first year?" James interrupted.

"I don't - I can't really… I can't really remember." Guilt slid across Harry's features as he lied, but James took it as guilt for not being able to tell him more.

"You don't remember a single thing?" James asked. "I know Mum told me not to bother you about it, and that all that mattered was that you were my brother now, but I can't help it."

"It's like somebody did a bad job of obliviating me. I remember flashes of things, they go by so quickly that I can't put meanings to many of them, but they're there." Harry scratched his head, beginning to feel even more guilt.

"Maybe someone did try to obliviate you," James said. "You can't remember _anything_ concrete?"

"Godric's Hollow," Harry said. "That's the only concrete thing I remember, and I can't figure out what it has to do with me." Harry decided to give James a hint, even though he may not make any discoveries about it until later.

"I won't question you anymore right now, but you do know that I can keep secrets, right?" James asked.

"Even if I did remember, it's not your inability to keep a secret that I'd be worried about," Harry said.

They left the compartment and without another word, they moved to their own, distributing the snacks.

"What took you guys so long?" Sirius complained.

"Sorry, Mate, but when you buy that much, you have to wait and let others go ahead of you. It's only fair," Harry said.

Harry and James sat down in the spots they occupied previously and took to drinking their pumpkin juice and eating their snacks. They traded chocolate frog cards and tossed each other different snacks and everybody ate quietly until Sirius broke the silence.

"Look, it looks like we'll be there in about a half an hour!" He pointed off into the distance where there were buildings that looked like a city.

Once Harry was finished eating, he opened his book back up after taking it out of his bag. He turned the page to where Dumbledore's notes began.

 _An animagus is a witch or wizard with the rare ability to transform into an animal at will. The spell is very difficult and dangerous to perform, which is one reason that all animagi are required to register with the ministry of magic. Another reason is so they don't use the ability for any illegal purposes._

 _Becoming an Animagus is a long process, and requires hard work, determination, as well as meditation. It takes skill, practice, and patience. The steps are long, and you must master each and every step under close instruction and guidance._

 _Step one: Master the Patronus Charm_

 _Similar to the Animagus spell, the Patronus charm takes its form based on your character and personality. While your patronus may change due to major events or major changes in emotion, your animagus is always the same. If you can master the Patronus charm, you're one step closer to becoming an animagus._

 _Step two: Meditation_

 _This is one of the longer steps. You must meditate in a completely calm and uninterrupted environment, and clear your thoughts for at least one hour every day for at least two months, although the length varies depending on your ability to focus. Meditation is important for a few reasons. The first reason is that you must be able to focus one-hundred percent on the task at hand. Another reason is that you must be fully prepared to regress your mind slightly to that of the animal which you will become. While you will still have your own memories and your own thoughts, you will also gain your animal's instinct when you become your animal. Meditation helps to prepare your mind for your animagus form._

 _Step three: Mandrake Leaf_

 _You must hold a mandrake leaf in your_ -

"Harry, we're here. Finish your pumpkin juice!" James said, waving his hand in front of Harry's face.

"Sorry, I got distracted," Harry said, lifting his bottle of pumpkin juice to his mouth and finishing it in a few gulps.

They grabbed their trunks and made their way to the platform upon which Harry and James' parents were waiting for the twins, Sirius, and Remus. Peter's mum, who looked similar to Peter, was standing roughly six paces away from them and urging Peter to hurry up. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were both waving at them and they made their way to them. Euphemia wore a dark green winter cloak that looked well with her greying, dark brown hair, while Fleamont wore a black one.

"Mum, Dad!" Harry and James chorused.

"This is Sirius," James said, gesturing to the young and unruly black-haired Gryffindor.

"And this is Remus," Harry said, gesturing to the lighter-haired Gryffindor.

The twins embraced their parents after allowing them to greet their friends, and then made their way to the barrier. Harry held his book tightly under his arm, his school bag around his shoulder. Fleamont took his trunk for him, placing it on a cart along with James' trunk, Sirius' trunk, and Remus' trunk.

They hadn't asked previously how they would all be getting to the manor, but as soon as Harry saw Fleamont stick his wand out to the curb, he knew instantly that they were about to get on the Knight Bus. He grabbed his father's hand and pulled it back before the tip of the wand was lit.

"Can we _not_ go on the Knight Bus? Please?" He begged. He didn't want to be reminded of Stan.

"Well, Son, how else will we get there?" Fleamont asked in amazement.

"Well, we can take a taxi to the Leaky and use the floo," Remus suggested.

" _Taxi?_ What's a _taxi?_ " Euphemia questioned him curiously.

"A taxi is a form of muggle transportation for muggles who don't own cars," Harry replied. It was Remus' turn to look shocked when Harry divulged this information, as he hadn't expected him to know about muggle transportation.

"I always keep some muggle money with me, because my mum's a muggle and she's paranoid, so I'm used to it. But we would have to go separately because there won't be enough room for all of us in one car," Remus said. He pulled out a small wallet, handing Harry a few bills. "Since you seem to know about taxis, you can handle one and I'll handle the other. One adult and two kids can go in each car, and we'll meet at the Leaky Cauldron."

Harry nodded. Euphemia and Fleamont looked slightly alarmed, but eager. Fleamont went with Remus and James, while Euphemia went with Harry and Sirius. Harry and Remus both waved down a taxi and the groups got into each of them after loading the trunks with their supplies. Harry told the driver the name of the street in which the Leaky Cauldron was located, knowing that he wouldn't have heard of the Leaky Cauldron itself.

Euphemia laughed nervously as the car began to move and Harry looked at her reassuringly. Sirius had a goofy grin on his face and when the ride was over, Harry handed the driver the proper change, pocketing what was left over to return to Remus. They got out, unloaded the trunk, and then began walking to the Leaky Cauldron.

"That was brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed. Harry smiled at him.

"That's how muggles get around?" Euphemia asked.

"Some of them, yes." Harry opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron and held it for them.

Inside, Fleamont, Remus, and James were already waiting for them at the floo. Fleamont passed around the floo powder and James went in first. After James went, Fleamont followed, and then Euphemia went after instructing Harry to wait last to make sure Sirius and Remus got to the right place.

"It's just called 'Potter Manor', it's not that hard," Harry said.

"Potter Manor," Sirius said, throwing down the powder and disappearing.

Remus turned to Harry. Harry looked at him questioningly and they stood facing each other for a while.

"How did you know about taxis if the rest of your family has no clue about them?" he finally asked.

"I do my research," Harry replied.

Remus turned and stepped into the fireplace, throwing the floo powder down and saying "Potter Manor." Harry followed him after, doing the same.

* * *

 **Same day (after their late dinner)**

"Mum and Dad transfigured my bed into two smaller beds, and Remus and Sirius will be sharing in there. Normally, we'd have another guest bedroom, but they're reconstructing it right now because it was damaged a while back," James said, looking sheepish as he said the last bit.

James and Harry led Sirius and Remus into James' room where they dropped their trunks at the end of their beds and sank into their respective beds, worn out from the traveling and eating. Harry and James made their way into Harry's bedroom and climbed into bed.

"So, you know how to defend yourself against sixth year Slytherins, you've shown excellent demonstrations in lessons, and you know about muggle transportation, but you don't remember where you're from?" James questioned.

"I told you, I remember Godric's Hollow, but that's really it, and I don't know what it has to do with me," Harry replied.

"But what's Godric's Hollow?" James asked.

"A community where both muggles and wizards live," Harry said. "The muggles don't know about the magic, of course."

"So you remember that much," James said.

"Yeah I guess I do." Harry pulled off his glasses and set them on the bedside table. James then handed Harry his glasses and he set those down too.

"What about your parents, do you remember your parents?" James asked. He'd gone too far. Harry was filled with guilt and fear and nervousness. He didn't know what to say. He remembered it well. And suddenly, the fact that he had put those memories away didn't seem to help him. They were burdensome in a whole new way.

"Not really," He said hesitantly. "Not at all, actually." Harry wanted to punch himself for saying that, knowing that his father may eventually find out that he was indeed his son, and then he may be hurt by the fact that Harry didn't remember him. The truth was, Harry didn't. He remembered his face, he remembered the stories, but he didn't remember his father from his own perspective.

James frowned, but Harry couldn't see it very well without his glasses. He settled himself under his comforter and put his wand up on the nightstand. Soon after, he heard James' breathing slow down until he knew that his brother was asleep.

"My parents are your parents. We're brothers, aren't we?" Harry whispered. He turned over on his side and closed his eyes. Soon, he was fast asleep as well.

* * *

 **Tuesday, December 21, 1971 (4 am)**

 _Harry was in the Malfoy basement with Ron and screams could be heard coming from above. Ron was pacing the room frantically, and with every scream he heard, he called out Hermione's name._

 _The loudest and scariest one made Harry cringe. "Hermione!" they screamed._

 _The scene changed before his eyes, and now it was Ron screaming. He was in the Leaky Cauldron, and that was when the Death Eaters attacked them. Ron was on the ground writhing in pain, and Harry didn't know what to do._

" _Ron!"_

 _And then Hermione entered the picture. "Harry! The time-turner!" That was when Harry realised it was a dream. Because Hermione never managed to get those last words out._

Harry sat upright with a start. For a while, he had forgotten what had happened, and he was unsure of where he was. But then he saw James rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"Who's Ron and Hermione?" James asked. Harry let out a shaky breath. Apparently, he'd been talking in his sleep.

"It's nothing," Harry replied. "Go back to sleep."

"No."

"No?"

"No," James repeated.

"Fine," Harry said. "Suit yourself." He leaned back onto his pillow and made himself comfortable again.

"It's not fair!" James whined. "You said all you remembered was Godric's Hollow! Now you remember people and you won't tell me!"

"Life isn't fair. Believe me, I know just how unfair life gets," Harry replied.

"Are Ron and Hermione your parents?" James asked.

"Bloody hell, Jamie," Harry complained. "Won't you let me sleep?"

James yawned. "Fine, but this conversation isn't over."

* * *

 **Friday, December 24, 1971**

"Wake up Harry!" James jumped on his brother roughly, forcing him awake. Harry could see that James already had his glasses on, and he reached over for his own glasses. After putting them on and sitting up, James jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room. Harry could hear him entering his own room and jumping on top of Sirius' bed. Harry pushed the comforter off of him and followed James into the other room where James was jumping on Sirius' bed yelling for him to wake up.

Harry walked over to Remus' bed where he saw the young wizard waking up.

"If you jump on me you will regret it," Remus warned Harry.

"Relax, I don't have a death wish like my brother. I was just going to tell you to wake up before James comes over here and jumps on you too," Harry said. "It's not pleasant."

Remus sat up and watched James and Sirius wrestle each other.

"Why can't I sleep?!" Sirius said.

"Because it's Christmas Eve and nobody sleeps in on a holiday!" James replied.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake!" Sirius said. They both stood and James led them all to the sitting room, where there was a large Christmas tree and numerous presents underneath it.

"It's tradition in the Potter household for us to attempt to open one of our gifts. Our parents come up with clever ideas to keep us out of them every year. It's all harmless, of course," James said. This was something Harry wasn't aware of because this was his first Christmas with them, but he had to pretend otherwise.

"So, on Christmas Eve, early in the morning, you attempted to sneak into your presents, and from then on, it became a game, and now it's tradition?" Sirius asked. James nodded.

"Everyone, look for a present with your name on it," James said.

"But, James I-" James interrupted Remus' argument.

"You have a present right here Remus, so don't argue," James said, pointing to a square box toward the left of the tree.

Harry glanced over at all the presents and found one with Sirius' name on it, a small rectangular red box wrapped in gold ribbon. "Sirius, here's one for you."

"Harry, this one's for you. The one with the silver wrappings," James said, pointing to a box in the front of the tree. James found one that was for him on Harry's right side, and he smiled.

"Alright, on the count of three, we all reach down and touch them," James said. "One."

"Two," Harry said.

"Three!" Sirius yelled. They all dove down for their present and touched them. Nothing happened.

"Was something supposed to have happened yet?" Sirius asked.

"I dunno. It might be a trick. I say we pull off the ribbons and see if anything happens then," James said.

At the count of three, they all pulled off the ribbons on their gifts, but still, nothing happened. James looked around, confused. Sirius looked up and sent Harry a curious look to which Harry responded with a confused shrug.

"Okay… Try pulling off the wrappings?" James suggested.

They all did so, and that's when it began. Not only did the wrapping paper never end, but when they accidentally tore it, or stepped on it, the wrapping paper would scream loudly. They tore at it and tore at it, leaving a mess of wrapping paper everywhere behind them, but nothing would allow them to see the gift underneath. The wrapping paper screamed and screamed and soon they had to give up and cover their ears because it was just too much.

"Mum! Dad!" James yelled. They could faintly hear the sound of Euphemia and Fleamont Potter's footsteps coming down the stairway and into the sitting room. Both of them were howling with laughter and soon Euphemia took her wand out, silently casting a clean up charm to get rid of the trash.

"Well that was a new one," James commented with a sigh of relief when the screaming finally stopped. Sirius was laughing his head off and attempting to speak, but he couldn't get any words out.

"Is that a modified Caterwauling charm?" Harry asked.

"Yes, along with a modified Gemino curse," Fleamont answered with a tone of satisfaction at his son's ability to distinguish an advanced charm.

"That was brilliant!" Sirius said, his laughing finally having died down enough for him to get words out.

Remus smiled. "I'll have to admit the screaming did scare me a bit at first, but I agree with Sirius. It was brilliant."

Euphemia and Fleamont smiled down at the kids and Fleamont took the presents they were holding and pointed his wand at each of them. "I think you all deserve to open at least one present." He handed them back and the young marauders all tore open their presents.

"Amazing! I got a miniature broom servicing kit," Sirius said. "Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

"Please, call us Mum and Dad," Euphemia said, smiling warmly at him. They had both taken seats on the couch on the wall opposite the Christmas tree and were looking at the young Gryffindors as they opened their one gift.

"Excellent! I got the entire collection of _The Adventures of Marten Miggs, the Mad Muggle_ ," Remus said, holding up the comic books.

"I've got a mirror?" Harry asked. He looked at the object in his hands carefully and then he noticed moving shadows across it. "No, I've got a miniature foe-glass."

"A foe-glass?" Sirius asked.

"It's a type of detector that aurors use. Of course, aurors usually have bigger ones, but I like this one. Thanks Mum, thanks Dad." Harry placed the glass carefully back into it's box and set it aside, watching James reveal his own present.

"I've got two-way mirrors! These are brilliant Mum and Dad, thank you!" James picked up one of the mirrors and handed it over to Harry, and picked the other one up for himself. When he looked back into the box, he frowned. "There are more than two." He reached inside to pick one up and he handed it to Sirius, and then picked another one up and handed it to Remus. "What about Peter?"

"Sorry, Dear. They only had sets of four. Any of those mirrors can contact any other mirror in the set. They can also contact more than one at a time," Euphemia explained. "We tried to find a set of five, so you could give one to Peter, but we couldn't find one no matter where we looked."

"That's okay, Mum. I understand," James said. He smiled at the mirror he was holding and then he tucked it away into it's box.

* * *

 **Saturday, December 25, 1971**

Harry couldn't help but feel weird about everything. He knew that this was going to be his new life, and he had already accepted it, but sitting here at the table with his family and friends felt like a dream. It felt like a dream because in reality these weren't his original friends and family. Where was Hermione and Ron and Ginny? What about Fred and George? He missed them all so much.

"Harry? Are you alright, Son?" Fleamont Potter was currently stabbing at pieces of his roast beef and he looked across the table at his son who was holding James' plate and staring into space.

James nudged Harry and Harry shook himself into the present moment. He continued putting food onto James' plate apologetically and nodding his head. When he was done filling James' plate, he set it down in front of James and James set Harry's plate down in front of him. They then poured each other's drinks and dug in.

Remus and Sirius were staring at them the entire time, their plates empty. Sirius smirked and looked at Remus, but Remus shook his head and Sirius pouted, putting food onto his own plate. Remus followed suit and soon they were all too busy eating to talk.

Harry ate his food quietly, thinking about his sessions with Dumbledore.

" _Remus is a werewolf," Harry said._

" _I know," said the professor. "But he can be trusted."_

" _I know."_

…

" _Harry, You've been doing very well with your private training. I'm looking forward to helping you become an Animagus," Dumbledore said._

" _But I can't be put on the registry. You're helping me do this illegally, Professor." Harry looked down in his lap, scratching his head nervously._

" _I can't very well put you on the registry if it will cause question in your own time, now can I? I expect that you'll be able to register yourself when you get back." The professor looked at him with a kind smile and a twinkle in his eye._

" _When_ will _I get back?" Harry asked._

" _My guess is that you'll disappear to your own time when it's time for you to be born," the professor replied._

"Harry, how are you and James doing in school?" Euphemia asked.

"We're doing fine. I've got good enough marks, and James does too," Harry replied absentmindedly.

Euphemia narrowed her eyes at him and tilted her head forward. "And you're all behaving properly?"

"Of course we are, Mum. We've devoted most of our time to studying." Harry looked over at Sirius who shifted nervously in his seat. Euphemia Potter was one intimidating woman.

Their mum glanced over at Sirius and her eyes became narrower. "Absolutely no funny business, right Sirius?"

"Mum," James busted out with laughter. "We're _all_ behaving well. Don't make Sirius wet himself."

"I don't know, I think I'd like to see that," Remus said with a smirk.

Fleamont laughed and put his hand on Euphemia's. "They're fine. They're only kids anyways."

Harry was finally out of his trance and he joined their conversation.

"Harry, we got a letter from the school about your outstanding hard work. Apparently you're never seen without a textbook in your hands, is that true?" Fleamont asked.

"Yeah, I always study. I want to do well on the end of the year exams," Harry said. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed James narrow his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat. "James is doing well too. He studies just as much as I do. Just because I always hold a textbook doesn't mean I'm always reading it."

"Of course James is doing well, we know that. We got a letter for him too, but we brought yours up first. Harry, are you okay?" Euphemia asked.

"I'm fine, Mum," Harry said. He continued eating, glancing over at Remus who was now staring at him. Harry broke eye contact and shoveled even more food down his throat.

"James, we're proud of you as well. I got a letter from Professor Slughorn saying that yours and Harry's potions are always outstanding," Euphemia addressed their other son.

"Yeah but we don't do nearly as well and Remus and Sirius do in potions. My better subject is Transfiguration," James said. "Actually, I think that's all of our best subjects." He gestured to Harry, Remus, and Sirius, as well as himself.

There was a loud crack and Bucky and Becky appeared to take away their now empty plates. They all stood to leave the table and go off to bed. The young Gryffindors all joked around and began horseplaying on their way to their rooms.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Second Year in a Nutshell

* * *

 **Friday, September 1 1972**

"Man, what an adventure!" Sirius exclaimed. "And we've only been at Hogwarts for one year!"

"We're second years now, Mate. How long until the map gets finished?" Harry placed a chocolate frog in his mouth and allowed it to melt like syrup on his tongue before swallowing.

"I don't know, we haven't found the divination classroom yet, or the other advanced classes. And we have to find other secret passages, because we've only found one. We'll have to sneak around some more. What's fun without a little mischief?" James said. Once his words had sunk in, Sirius brightened up visibly and practically jumped in excitement.

"I have an idea! What if we made the map only visible to those who can repeat a password? For example, someone could tap their wand on it and say 'mischief' and then viola!"

"That's a great idea, although, it needs to be thought out more. How about an uncommon phrase for the password?" Remus suggested, and after another minute of consideration, he continued. "And I'd suggest a password to make it invisible again too. And block revealing charms."

"That's brilliant," Peter said in awe.

As they continued to make plans for their upcoming year, they were interrupted by a flash of red light in the corridor of the train. Both Harry and James stood at once, an uneasy feeling at the pit of Harry's stomach.

They heard laughter and then shouting, and the twins looked at each other. Instantly the two of them reached for the sliding glass door and opened it, only to be greeted by another red light.

Harry quickly pulled James down and the light hit the wall of their compartment. Harry glowered in the direction it came from, the now seventh year Lucius Malfoy sneering. It was obvious his intent. As the older wizard aimed his wand once more, Harry pulled his own wand up and cast his signature defense spell.

" _Expelliarmus!_ " he shouted, Lucius' wand flying toward him quickly, to be caught by James.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter had peeked out of the compartment and then Peter ran forward. He drew the attention toward the mass lying on the floor in the middle of everything. It was one of the third-year muggle-born girls that stayed in Ravenclaw house.

"I won't tolerate interference from pesky little second-years!" Lucius started towards them and Harry narrowed his eyes at him. As he moved, Lucius' left sleeve flew up just an inch, which was just enough for Harry to see a corner of the dark mark. Lucius had become a Death Eater sometime during the long summer holiday. Harry threw the only spell he could think of that was basic enough to not get too many questioning stares.

" _Immobulus!_ "

Lucius Malfoy was frozen in place, his left foot forward, barely an inch off the ground, and his face contorted into pure rage. The marauders helped to get the Ravenclaw sitting up against a wall. Another seventh year came forward and muttered the counter-curse to the stunning spell, helping the girl up onto her feet and dismissing the second year Gryffindors. Once they were in their compartment, Harry heard Lucius' raging shouts once more, but he looked out of the glass and saw that he was being dragged away by his fellow seventh years.

Harry stayed mostly silent for the rest of the train ride. He was lost in thought about his previous findings. Lucius Malfoy, now officially a Death Eater. How long before Slytherins would start becoming more vicious in their attacks? Who else was now an official follower of Voldemort?

When they got to the castle, they ate at the feast, greeting the new first years. Sirius glowered at the Slytherin table in disgust and rage, not touching his own food. Harry understood immediately when he saw where Sirius' attention was.

 _Black, Regulus_ , brother to Sirius Black, and now a first year Slytherin. Sirius was pissed that his younger brother got into Slytherin. Harry clapped him on the back to reassure him.

"It'll be alright, Mate. We'll still have fun this year, right?" Harry said, hoping to get his mind off of everything.

"You-know-who is gathering followers. He'll be one of them in a few years," Sirius said bitterly.

"His heart will be in the right place. You said it yourself months ago, it's not easy for pureblood children. They have so much pressure on them by their parents." Harry gestured to the plate of food in front of his friend, but Sirius shook his head.

"How do you know that Regulus won't be just as evil as the rest of them?" Sirius said. He looked Harry in the eyes, worry written all over him.

"I just… have a feeling." Harry looked back over at the younger Slytherin. He had been joined by Severus Snape, and the first year looked up at Harry. Harry looked quickly away and continued eating.

"So, as soon as we get into the dorm room, who wants to work on the marauder's map?" James asked, trying to lighten the mood.

* * *

 **Friday, October 6 1972**

"Have you found the divination classroom yet?" Harry whispered to Remus during Charms lessons. Of course, Harry knew where the classroom was located, but he couldn't tell Remus that. Besides, they agreed on which classrooms and other locations they'd each take care of. Remus was in charge of the Divination classroom, Arithmancy classroom, and one of the secret passages.

"No, but I know of a few third years who are taking it, I'm going to see if I can get one of them to tell me." They were practicing the scouring charm as a part of the second year curriculum.

"I heard rumors about it. Apparently it's in a round room where the entrance is a trapdoor with a ladder to get up. Must be in the attic of one of the towers. Maybe that'll narrow your search down a bit." Harry aimed his wand at the mess Remus made and used the scouring charm flawlessly.

"Thanks. We already know that two of the towers are out of the question because they belong to two of the four houses," Remus said, cleaning up a mess that Harry made.

"And then there's the astronomy tower. Don't think that would really be home to a divination class either," Harry said.

"Yeah, I don't think so either."

* * *

 **Wednesday, November 1, 1972**

"Harry, I do believe you are ready to move on to the next task of Animagus training." The professor looked across his desk at the young student, who dedicated a lot of time in the past month to his extra lessons with the headmaster.

"Are you certain?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I am. This next task is tricky," Albus Dumbledore said. "I've collected a mandrake leaf for you. You must hold it in your mouth on your tongue for a month. While you sleep, while you study, and so on. It must never be swallowed, and it must not leave your mouth a minute too early."

"But Sir, how will I eat and drink?" Harry protested.

"The mandrake holds many vitamins and nutrients, and as it is a magical plant, it has magical properties," the professor explained. "While you will probably get hungry later on, the leaf should sustain you long enough. I'm not saying it will fill you, but it will be bearable." The professor paused before beginning to speak once more. "If I were you, I'd play my cards right, so your friends don't suspect anything. When I assisted Professor McGonagall in becoming an animagus, she made it seem as though she was hit with a silencing charm."

"But how will I explain me not eating?" Harry asked.

"That is for you to work through. You're a smart young man, Harry. I'm sure you'll do well." Albus Dumbledore passed Harry an envelope inside of which was a mandrake leaf. Harry pocketed it knowing exactly how he was going to pull it off.

He stood up, excusing himself and thanking the professor, and he walked out of the old wizard's office.

* * *

 **Thursday, November 2, 1972**

Harry sat in Transfiguration directly in front of James, and next to Sirius. He knew what he was going to do today.

"Today, we will be turning animals into water goblets," Professor McGonagall began.

"Why?" Harry interrupted. He saw the professor's jaw clench.

"Because it is a part of the second year curriculum, and I said so," the professor said. "Now, as I was saying, we will be turning animals into water goblets. It is a simple incantation, but it requires all of your concen-"

"Why is this spell necessary? When will we need to use it outside of this classroom?" Harry asked. He knew he was going to be in big trouble soon. James kicked the back of his chair as a warning and Sirius elbowed him in the side.

"Mr. Potter, what you learn in class is not up for discussion, is that understood?" As the professor spoke, Harry saw the eyes of his classmates fall directly onto him. Some of them gave him approving looks, and others gave him disapproving glares.

"I know that, but I just don't see how turning an animal into a cup is useful. Wouldn't that be animal cruelty?"

"See me after class, Mr. Potter."

* * *

Harry walked out onto the grounds, quickly shoving the mandrake leaf into his mouth before he reached his brother and friends. He scrunched up his nose at the foul taste and resisted his dying urge to spit it back out. He gripped his journal tightly, approaching the other marauders.

"What's that face for? McGonagall's punishment isn't that bad is it?" James asked.

"You look like she fed you something disgusting," Peter commented.

"She didn't put slugs in your mouth did she?" Sirius asked with wide eyes.

Harry took a deep breath and shook his head. He opened his journal and pulled out a quill and ink. He wrote down that Professor McGonagall took him to Dumbledore's office and there, Professor Dumbledore had placed a silencing charm on him, to be lifted on a later date.

* * *

 **Friday, April 27, 1973**

"You've almost come to an end with your training, Mr. Potter. It's now time to see what your animagus is. Listen to me carefully." Albus Dumbledore guided Harry to the center of the room, where the space was cleared off completely. "Now sit down on the cushion and close your eyes. It's going to be like a meditation, but instead of sitting there silently, you're going to perform a long and complicated spell. You'll need your wand for this."

The professor knelt down and placed an open book in front of Harry as he pulled out his wand. Harry looked down at the book, which contained moving images of a man performing a spell on himself and then transforming into a falcon.

"Study the incantation carefully. It is _Transmutare Animalis_. When you perform it, your wand must first touch your feet. The soles of your feet should be touching each other, and the wand will touch just between them. Then you draw it up in a straight line to connect to your stomach, and up in a curving line to reach your heart, then finally up through the neck to touch your forehead just above your nose." As the professor instructed him, he demonstrated how the wand movement would go.

"You'll say the incantation twice. Once just as you're touching the soles of your feet, and then once again when you reach your head. Make sure to focus on your intent, and move your wand slowly."

"Yes, Sir," Harry replied, looking once more at the illustrations in the book and then closing his eyes. He held himself in the position shown to him, pointing his wand down between the soles of his feet. " _Transmutare Animalis_."

He drew his wand slowly upward, and Albus Dumbledore watched as a silver line was left in it's wake. Harry stopped at his stomach, focusing on the intent, and making sure to move slowly and carefully. He curved his wand upward toward his heart, the line getting thicker as he moved further upward. When he reached his forehead, he said the incantation once more.

" _Transmutare Animalis._ " He stayed in that position, his eyes still closed and the headmaster watched as the silver line wrapped itself around the student like a thread. It absorbed into his skin, and then when Harry exhaled, a silvery light escaped his nose, forming like a patronus into an animal.

"You may open your eyes now, Harry." Harry opened his eyes slowly to be met with an Alaskan Malamute patronus.

"It's not a patronus, Harry. Just watch it for a while. You're not done. Imagine yourself becoming merged with it."

Harry did as he was told, watching the wolf-like dog as it barked and wagged it's tail, jumping and running in circles. Eventually, the malamute ran forward toward Harry.

"Don't flinch. It's merging with you, once it's done, you will be in the form of your animagus, which is an Alaskan Malamute. I will instruct you on how to change back into your human form once the transformation is complete." The professor watched the dog as it crashed into Harry and the young marauder went wide-eyed as he felt the transformation take place.

Suddenly Harry was on four legs and he wagged his tail, getting a feel for his animagus form. When he was done observing himself, he sat down, patiently waiting for guidance.

"Wonderful work, Harry. Alright, now it's more difficult to transform when you first start out. You have to focus hard," Professor Dumbledore watched as Harry shifted, and sat still. "Concentrate on your human form, and how your body feels. Beginners always take a bit longer to transform, but after you practice a bit, you'll be able to do it quickly and without a second thought."

After a few quiet minutes, Harry was back in his human form. He suddenly felt different. He could feel his senses getting stronger, and he knew that deep inside him there was a canine ready to be let loose. Even though he was in his human form, he could feel his animagus right there at the edge of his skin. He was a new person.

"Well done, Mr. Potter. You are now officially an animagus."

* * *

 **Monday, May 7, 1973**

"Remus, we need to talk," Sirius confronted his friend in the presence of the other marauders while beginning to settle down for the night.

"Oh, um, okay? Did I do something wrong?" Harry could tell the boy was nervous. Remus cast a glance over to Harry who shrugged his shoulders. Weeks ago, Harry had confronted Remus about his demons. He had assured Remus that he would keep his secret, and that their friendship hadn't changed.

"No, not exactly. Well, um…" Sirius struggled to find words.

"We know you've been hiding something from us. Something that's been troubling you, so we came together to figure out how we could help you." James scratched his head and then glanced accusingly at Harry, who had not agreed to get involved with the situation.

Harry watched as Remus immediately tensed up. "I'm not sure what you are talking about."

"We want to help you. You don't have to keep things from us, we're your best mates." Sirius said. Remus turned away from them.

"Can we not talk about it anymore? Just pretend nothing happened?" He asked. The other marauders looked at each other, and they all felt concern for their friend. But Harry spoke up for them.

"Sure Remus. We don't have to talk about it anymore," He said. When the other three marauders tried to argue, he glared at them, gesturing toward a now very depressed and self-conscious Remus Lupin. They backed off.

* * *

 **Saturday, June 2, 1973**

Harry and Remus sat up against the large oak tree on the grounds, watching James, Sirius, and Peter. Harry and Remus both knew what they were doing, but Remus didn't know that Harry knew, of course. His new animal senses allowed him to hear better now than he ever had before.

"So why aren't you over there with them, trying to become an animagus yourself?" Remus asked.

"You know that almost nobody has ever been successful with that, right? And that is even when there was help from a ministry official," Harry replied.

"So you do know that that is what they are doing." Remus looked at Harry with narrowed eyes.

"Well yeah, I overheard them talking about it the other day," Harry lied.

"Harry, one of the things about being a werewolf is that I have heightened senses. I know you're lying, I've always known when you lied, but I never said anything. I can hear your heart beat faster when you lie," Remus spoke quietly. "I've respected people's privacy even when I knew they were lying, because it wasn't like I could easily call them out on it without having to explain myself."

"Alright, you caught me. But there's a problem," Harry said. "I can't tell you the truth. You'll have to figure that much out."

"Well I already know you're not James' twin. I just don't know who you are and where you came from. As for why you aren't with the others trying to become an animagus…" Remus paused. "It's a bit outrageous for me to believe, but I have a suspicion that you already are an animagus, aren't you?" Remus whispered, careful to make sure that the others didn't hear him.

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. Remus then narrowed his eyes.

"How? Is that why you've been making yourself scarce lately?"

"Yes. I've been studying extra hard on more topics to try and give myself more of a challenge," Harry replied. "I've been studying different things ever since the very start of our first year. Animagus training started just before winter holidays during our first year."

"So what's your animagus form?" Remus asked purely out of curiosity. Harry couldn't blame him.

"An Alaskan Malamute. A rather large one, too," Harry said with a satisfied smirk. He watched as his brother became frustrated with the book he was studying and sent red sparks at it. Sirius protested as he tried to read the page.

Harry lifted his wand to the slightly charred page and used the scouring charm to clean up after his twin.

"What are you doing, over there?" he asked. The other three marauders all tensed up, and for the first time ever, Harry was able to hone in on their heart beats. They sped up at his confrontation and Harry knew he was about to hear a lie.

"Just studying," James said.

Remus howled with laughter as Harry narrowed his eyes at the lie. He elbowed Harry lightly in the ribs. "Now you know how it feels," he whispered.

* * *

 **Friday, June 15, 1973**

"Remus is in the hospital wing again," Sirius said.

"I wonder why he won't tell us what's wrong with him," James replied.

"Maybe he's afraid to. It's not like it's easy for someone to admit their deepest darkest secret. It could be that way for him." Harry was under an oak tree, reading out of his quidditch book.

"And what's your deepest darkest secret, Harry?" Sirius said with a smirk.

"There's no way I'm telling you that," Harry replied.

"I could just ask James."

"Not even Jamie knows it, mate," Harry smirked, amused at Sirius' attempts.

* * *

"Hey Remus," Harry said, catching sight of the werewolf in the hospital wing a few hours after their run-in with the older Slytherins. Remus looked up from his book and acknowledge Harry with a nod.

"Hey," he replied.

"Would you mind if I joined you in the shrieking shack tonight?" Harry said, lowering his voice significantly.

"Are you crazy?" Remus growled. "I'm dangerous."

"Only to humans, remember?" Harry argued.

"You don't know that it'll be any different for you," Remus said.

"Actually I do, but that's beside the point." Harry took a seat in the chair beside Remus' bed. Remus eyed him skeptically.

"How do you know?" Remus asked.

"Research," Harry responded.

"Fine." Remus crossed his arms. The full moon was two hours away, and Madam Pomfrey came in at that moment to escort him to the whomping willow, where they would go through the tunnel to the shrieking shack.

As soon as Harry saw Madam Pomfrey escort Remus onto the grounds through the window of the hospital wing, he stood up and ran after them. He ignored the stares of the few stray students wandering about and continued down the corridors until he came to the grounds. He had taken a different route in order to be sure not to run into Madam Pomfrey on his way. He knew she'd hurry back inside once she got Remus safely into the shrieking shack.

Harry stepped foot onto the Hogwarts grounds, the grass soft under his shoes. He made his way toward the whomping willow, pulling his wand out so he could freeze the dangerous tree. Then, he stepped through the hole at the base of the large tree and started down the tunnel. Once it got narrower, he shifted into his animagus so he could run quicker.

Pushing aside the crate, Harry stepped through the doorway and into the shrieking shack. He moved the crate back into it's place. He sniffed the air, which reeked of rotten wood, mold, stale blood, and wolf.

Harry followed the scent of the wolf until he found Remus still in his human form in a room with an old bed and a desk. Remus was already scratching at his own skin as if the monster was ready to come out early, but there was at least a half an hour left. As soon as Harry walked in, pawing at the floor, Remus' head shot up and he stared at Harry.

"Harry?" The malamute nodded and sat, wagging his tail.

"I didn't want you to see me during the transformation," Remus grumbled.

Harry laid himself down with his butt in the air and put his two front paws over his eyes as if to say 'I won't look.' Remus nodded firmly, pushing his knuckles into his stomach, as if it would hold the beast inside.

Come time for the transformation, Harry went out into the hall, only listening in fear at the shrieks and screams coming from his friend. Harry howled at the worst part, when Remus screamed his head off until he couldn't scream anymore. Harry could hear him tearing at himself and anything else he could get his hands on.

Once the transformation was complete, the Alaskan Malamute slowly peered into the room at the werewolf in front of him. The werewolf sniffed the air, locked his eyes on him, and then lunged.

Harry didn't flinch. Instead, he squared up to the wolf, standing on his rear legs and pawing at the wolf with his forelegs. Only when the wolf calmed down, did Harry stand back, lean forward, and bow to the wolf, showing submission to the alpha. Remus lowered his head in acceptance.

They were now part of a two animal pack. That night was spent roughhousing and sleeping.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Animagi and Haunting Memories

* * *

This chapter contains a snippet from the book _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_. I did not intend to take credit for that snippet, as it was all J.K. Rowling.

* * *

 **Third Year**

"You know, Sirius is going to lose his popularity among the girls because of this training," Harry joked with Remus. Remus laughed and looked over at Sirius who gave them both the finger.

The third year Gryffindors were in the common room sitting down by the fire, Remus and Harry were reading and James, Sirius, and Peter were training. They decided to practice staying quiet before they actually tried it with the mandrake leaves. They finally told Harry what they were up to, but they still wouldn't tell him why. Harry wasn't bothered by it anyway, because he already knew. They asked him if he wanted to join them, and he replied with a simple no. Now, here they were in the common room, and James, Sirius, and Peter were as silent as they could possibly be. They were actually playing exploding snap.

"You guys have been awfully quiet lately." All the marauders looked up at once to find Lily Evans towering over them in their corner. Peter bit his lip nervously, worrying it between his teeth. "You're planning something awful again aren't you?"

"Relax, Evans. They made a bet two weeks ago. That's why they haven't been talking." Harry looked up from his book, his eyebrow raised at her questioningly.

"They made a bet?" She asked, shifting her weight onto her right leg, crossing her arms as if to say ' _this should be interesting_.'

"Yeah," Remus said. "We all did. Harry and I already lost."

"What was it for?" She asked.

"Who could stay quiet the longest. We got into an argument over James and Sirius and their loud mouths," Harry said, smirking.

Lily showed the slightest hint of a smirk. "Which one of you lost first?"

"Me," Harry said boastfully. "Remus lost when he answered one of the questions in Slughorn's class."

"That's _Professor_ Slughorn. Anyways, I didn't think you'd be the loudmouth, Potter," Lily said with a smile, turning away to go back to her own group of friends.

Harry turned back to the other marauders and James glared at him. Sirius was trying to get James' attention back onto the exploding snap deck, but James wouldn't budge.

"What's your problem, mate? It's not like I was flirting with her," Harry said. James turned away from him and Harry sighed. "I'll be up in the dorm."

Harry stood, taking his book with him as he went up to the dormitories. In a few quick strides he was at his pillow and lifting it, picking up the box. He sat on the bed, setting the book aside and holding the memory box. He ran his hands over the top before opening it.

"Dad, you have a lot of growing up to do," He whispered. Most of the vials were full now. All of the full ones were labeled. He had almost forgotten that Professor Dumbledore had given him the pensieve to borrow, shrunken down until ready for use. Harry went over to his trunk and pulled out the miniature pensieve.

" _I've put an advanced spell on it. It is smaller in size, and when you, and only you, and me of course, tap your wand to it, it will grow to it's normal size. Then, when you've finished, just tap it again and it will shrink." Albus Dumbledore handed him the palm sized pensieve._

Harry tapped it with his wand and took a vial out of the box. It was the one labeled _James_.

He put his face in the water.

" _James, this is Harry," Euphemia told her son. "We're adopting him as your twin, because he's got nowhere to go."_

 _James narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "Harry Potter? The name doesn't suit him. He can't take Grandpa's name."_

" _James, that is his name and we'll stand by it," Fleamont said. "Now why don't you show him to the spare bedroom?"_

…

 _He turned to face James and James turned to face him. "It's a shame your eyes are green. We could really fool people," James said._

…

" _Harry! Wake up! Wake up! We gotta get ready for Hogwarts!" Harry felt James pounding his fist on his arm to get him to stir. Harry sat up and reached for his glasses. Once they were on, James leapt off of the bed._

" _What time is it, James?" Harry asked. He didn't feel like he had gotten much sleep. James opened up Harry's wardrobe and pulled his trunk from under his bed._

" _I'm not sure. Start packing your things," James demanded._

…

" _Mate, it's obvious. You've fallen hard for a certain redheaded fury," Sirius said._

" _I have not fallen in love with anyone! You're all mad," James growled._

" _We may be mad, but you're_ madly _in love," Harry said, jumping out of the way of James' fist, and turning to run as he chased him up the staircase._

…

" _Come on, Evans, why aren't you jumping? It's pretty fun," James said. Lily rolled her eyes and glared at James._

" _Go on then, Potter. Don't let me ruin it for you," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm._

" _Ah, but Evans, we can't let you miss out on all the fun," Harry replied._

" _I'm fine sitting right here, but thank you for your concern," she retorted dryly._

" _All this hard work gone to waste, what a shame," James complained._

…

Then there was the memory of finding Lily's letter to Sirius.

' _James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell - Also, Dumbledore's still got his invisibility cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much.'_

…

" _Lily! Take Harry and go!" Lily heard her husband's panicked voice. "It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"_

 _There was a loud cackle, then a flash of green. James was no longer heard shouting. Harry began to cry louder. Lily was sobbing as she slammed the door to the nursery shut and shoved a chair up to it. She locked the door though she knew it was no use. She held Harry in her arms. "It's okay. Momma's got you. I'll keep you safe."_

Harry fell back onto his bed, overwhelmed by the memories. He breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down.

"You're hiding more than I expected." Harry looked up to find Remus sitting at the foot of his bed, watching Harry.

"Bloody hell, I should have been more careful." Harry extracted the memory from the pensieve and put it back into the vial.

"Why have you got a pensieve?" Remus asked.

"I can't tell you anything. I swore by magic," Harry replied.

"Then maybe you can show me," Remus said. "The others aren't going to be coming up any time soon. Their game got… explosive."

"Are they alright?" Harry asked.

"Yes, they just got really competitive. Anyway, a couple of fourth years joined them too, so they probably won't be up for a while. You have time to show me." Remus stood up as Harry pushed the pensieve off to the side.

"You have to swear not to tell," Harry demanded.

"I'd make an unbreakable vow if we had a third person," Remus said.

"Do you swear by your magic not to tell anyone about my secret?" Harry asked. Remus raised his wand and spoke.

"I swear not to reveal anything about your secret to anyone else, not even the other marauders." The tip of his wand began to glow and then it died out as soon as the vow was over.

Harry sighed deeply, taking a few of the vials out of the box and setting them side by side. "I'll let you choose three memories out of the ones I've picked. Only three."

Remus made his way over to the bed and sat on a clear space next to Harry, looking down at the labeled vials. _Parents, DE Attack, Meeting Friends, Sirius, Remus, Voldemort, Malfoy Basement, Meeting with Dumbledore._ Remus took a closer look at the vials. One of them had his name on it. But he knew that the most important one was probably the first one. Remus knew Harry wasn't James twin, which could only mean that the vial labeled parents would have Harry's real parents. He picked up the first one and handed it to Harry. "This one first."

Harry uncorked the vial and poured the memory out into the pensieve. Then he pushed the pensieve between he and Remus, and they went in together.

 _It was Lily's letter to Sirius. In the memory Harry was reading it out loud._

' _Dear Padfoot,  
Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favourite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course, James thought it was funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player, but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going._

 _We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us, and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first, and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell - also, Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard.  
Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore could ever have been friends with Gellert Grindelwald. I think her mind's going, personally!  
Lots of love,  
Lily_

…

" _Lily! Take Harry and go!"_ Remus looked over at Harry when he heard the voice. " _It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"_

"That was the last thing my dad ever said to my mum." _There was a loud cackle, then a flash of green. James was no longer heard shouting. Harry cried louder. Lily was sobbing as she slammed the door to the nursery shut and shoved a chair to it. She locked the door though she knew it was no use. She held Harry in her arms. "It's okay, Momma's got you. I'll keep you safe."_

Remus turned to look at Harry. "You remember that early on?"

"Only that one instance. I kept having dreams about it, and so many people spread rumours of it." Harry looked down. "My mum died too, but I'm going to take us out now. You can choose the next one." They brought their heads out of the pensieve and Remus looked at his other options while Harry returned the memory to it's vial.

"So James, James Potter, and Lily, Lily Evans are your parents?" Remus asked, handing Harry the vial labeled _DE Attack_. Harry nodded to him and emptied the contents of the vial into the pensieve. Then they went back in.

 _The death eaters all began to shoot hexes and curses, and most of them missed, but Ron was now writhing in pain on the floor. The result of the cruciatus curse. Harry pointed his wand at the nearest death eater and stunned him, dodging blows from the other death eaters at the same time._

" _Harry!" Harry heard Hermione's voice come from the open doorway of the Leaky. Harry couldn't think of what to do, and luckily, Hermione had her wand out, joining the fight. The Death Eaters seemed to anticipate this, however, and they all aimed curses at Ron simultaneously. Ron blocked a couple of them, but it didn't stop him from getting hurt._

" _RON!" Harry and Hermione both yelled as Ron screamed in pain once more, now bleeding from his shoulder, his face red from screaming so hard. Harry guessed that about a half a dozen of the Death Eaters had used the cruciatus on him. Before Harry realised what they were doing, about a dozen curses were then aimed at Hermione, and she fell to the ground, screaming and gasping as a brand new hole in her jeans revealed a large gash in her calf._

" _HERMIONE!" Harry yelled. In that very moment, every death eater aimed their wands at Harry, and they all sent curses at him. Harry prepared himself for the pain, but instead of unimaginable discomfort, his chest glowed, vibrating softly. Harry sank to the ground, his hand reaching out for his owl cage, to hold him steady._

" _Harry- th- the" Hermione tried to get her words out, but she couldn't. Harry knew, however, what she was trying to say. He reached down his shirt, pulling out the time-turner. It was the time-turner that was glowing and vibrating. All the death eaters had stopped, clearly confused, and watched this anomaly. Soon, the time-turner began to spin, slowly at first, and then more rapidly._

" _What the bloody hell is going on with him?" Ron asked franticly._

" _Harry!" Hermione yelled. Horrified, she tried to get up, but she couldn't. Harry felt himself spinning, and saw his surroundings begin to fade._ Harry and Remus watched the memory quietly, but something moved in the corner of his eye that Harry hadn't noticed before. Just before the vision faded completely a big black figure moved into his line of sight. The vision faded quickly before he could make out exactly what it was, but it looked oddly familiar. It looked like the grim.

"Sirius," Harry whispered.

"What?" Remus asked.

"I'll explain later," Harry answered him.

 _He spun faster and faster until he was ready to vomit, unable to see anything. It felt as though he were traveling by both portkey, floo, and apparition at once, and about ten times worse. He knew what was happening. He was time-travelling. But to what time, he didn't know._

 _As soon as he felt himself hit the ground, he got sick everywhere. He was on his hands and knees, and dizzy. Unable to stand, he collapsed, and his blurry vision gradually got worse until it faded completely, everything going black._

…

" _Your glasses, along with your wand, and your owl, are just over there, on the nightstand." Albus Dumbledore's voice had addressed Harry directly this time._

 _Harry reached toward the nightstand that he knew would be on his right side, and picked up his glasses. His glasses were no longer shattered. He looked up at the professor, and tried his best to hide his look of astonishment. Albus Dumbledore was not only well and alive, he was also much younger, with fewer creases in his forehead._

" _Sir, you-" Harry began, but he stopped himself, remembering what Hermione had once said about time-travel and how it was very easy to change things in time._

" _I don't know you, and yet, somehow you're here, at Hogwarts. Answer me this, how did you do it?" Dumbledore said, ignoring Harry's mistake._

" _Uh… Oh. Well, I'm afraid, that it would be a bad idea for me to tell you," Harry said, looking away from the professor's eyes._

" _Madam Pomfrey found you in possession of a time-turner." the professor said, holding up the long chain in which held the time-turner. "I think that whatever you say will be based on the future, and I can give you my word that it will not be repeated without strong consideration."_

…

" _And, Harry, how old are you?" He asked._

" _I turn eighteen on July thirty-first, nineteen ninety-eight." Harry spoke hesitantly, afraid that he'd say or do something to change the timeline permanently. "In my timeline, that's one week away."_

" _It is currently Saturday, July twenty-fourth, nineteen seventy-one." Albus looked at Harry with a small twinkle in his eye._

…

Harry pulled them out of the pensieve once more. Remus looked at Harry for a long moment before he spoke.

"You took a de-aging potion and became James' twin. But you were originally his son. He died, and so did Lily. But, your eyes were green. Now they're hazel." Remus began stating all the facts and then his face filled visibly with grief. "The war gets pretty bad, doesn't it?"

Harry nodded in silence. He looked down at the pensieve, swirling with images from his memory. After a while he spoke again. "I never truly knew my parents except in my dreams. But now, now I have the chance. James will get Lily, and I'll make sure of it. Me and my loudmouth," he joked.

"So you know more than everyone else because you've already been to Hogwarts," Remus said. "Now, what was that remark about Sirius?"

"Did you notice the grim, just before the vision faded?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I was just going to mention, it's a nasty death omen," Remus said. "That is, if you believe all the divination crap."

"No, that looked like Sirius in his animagus form," Harry said. "But there's a problem."

"What's that?" Remus asked.

"Sirius was supposed to have been dead two years before," Harry answered bitterly.

"Oh. Maybe he didn't actually-"

"I saw it happen. It was the unforgivable curse." Harry balled his hands into fists and Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder. He picked up another vial and handed it to Harry. Harry replaced the current memory back into it's vial and put the newly picked memory into the pensieve.

 _It was Harry's third year and they were on the Hogwarts express. All the compartments were full, aside from one that contained a sleeping professor. The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray._

 _"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window._

 _"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once._

 _"How d'you know that?"_

 _"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters._ Remus looked over at Harry in shock. Harry gave a weak smile.

 _"Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile._

 _"That's obvious," whispered Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."_

 _Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumors that the job was jinxed._

 _"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." He turned to Harry. "What were you going to tell us?"_

 _Harry explained all about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's argument and the warning Mr. Weasley had just given him. When he'd finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. don't go looking for trouble, Harry -"_

 _"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, nettled. "Trouble usually finds me."_

 _"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said Ron shakily._

Remus looked at Harry with confusion, and he was about to say something, but Harry held up his hand.

"It's not important yet," Harry said. "Right now, he's your friend."

The memory skipped over to when the train was stopped and the lights were out.

 _"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice._

…

 _"Ouch!" said Neville._

 _"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly. Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last. Harry could hear movements in his corner. None of them spoke. There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary._

 _"Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him. But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it._

 _Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water…_

 _But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Harry's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak._

 _And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings._

 _An intense cold swept over them all._ And Harry watched as his memory went black when the other Harry passed out. Remus looked over at him.

 _And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't... a thick white fog was swirling around him, inside him -_

 _"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?"_

 _Someone was slapping his face._

 _"W - what?"_

 _Ron and Hermione were kneeling next to him, and above them he could see Neville and Professor Lupin watching. Ron and Hermione heaved him back onto his seat._

 _"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously._

 _"Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door. The hooded creature had vanished. "What happened? Where's that - that thing? Who screamed?"_

 _"No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still._

 _Harry looked around the bright compartment. Ginny and Neville looked back at him, both very pale._

 _"But I heard screaming -"_

 _A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces._

 _"Here," he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. "Eat it. It'll help."_

…

 _The next part of this particular memory went by quickly showing them all in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius Black, but not showing the part where he was proven innocent. It showed him hugging Remus, and then it jumped to Remus' transformation._

"I knew all along you were a werewolf because of that day in my third year," Harry said, pulling them both out of the pensieve for the last time. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you everything in that memory. If I did, it would change the timeline."

"It's fine," Remus said, watching as Harry put away the vials and shoved the box back under his pillow. Harry tapped the pensieve with the tip of his wand and stood to put it away in his trunk. Remus made his way over to his own bed. "So Sirius goes to Azkaban?"

"Yes, but he doesn't stay there. It's hard to explain it," Harry said. Just as he finished his sentence the other three marauders came into the room.

It was a very silent night that night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Animosity

* * *

 **Third Year**

As the year came to an end, things began to get worse. The younger Slytherins who had worshipped Lucius Malfoy, had taken to giving a lot of the Gryffindors more trouble. There were a few particular nasty moments when they'd sabotaged potions and landed handfuls of Gryffindors in the hospital wing. Or when they'd send hexes in the halls.

" _Affligo_ ," one Slytherin said, aiming it at Peter. Before any of the marauders could block it or even see who had sent it, Peter was clutching his nose.

"Aww, come on Pete, not again," Harry complained as he saw the blood run down Peter's face.

"Harry, can you fix it?" Peter whinged. This had been the fourth time Peter had broken his nose since coming to Hogwarts in their first year. He was tired of fixing it for him, but Harry understood why he didn't want to go to the hospital wing.

"Fine. Come on, let's find a bathroom first," Harry said. The marauders stepped in the nearest boy's bathroom and Harry pointed his wand directly at Peter's nose. " _Episkey_."

"Thanks," Peter said, scourgifying his clothes and rinsing off his face. They went back on their way to the Gryffindor tower, bags in tow.

As they continued walking, Harry noticed that things in this time were almost as bad as it was in his own time, if not worse. Slytherins were attacking Gryffindors, and some Gryffindors fought back.

When they reached the third floor, they saw a Slytherin student running past, as if in a hurry. As this particular Slytherin wizard passed them, he pointed his wand at Harry's bag and severed the bottom, causing all of his books and potions supplies to fall out. Ink bottles broke, destroying parchment and books, and different potions ingredients got scattered and mixed together.

"Great. Just great." Harry stooped down and used his wand to clean up the mess of ink, however, some ink stains refused to remove themselves from his textbook. "This is bloody insane!" He repeated the scouring charm over and over but to no avail.

"Mate, we can try to fix it later, but for now let's just get it all picked up," James said, reaching down to help his brother carry his supplies. Sirius grabbed a couple of his textbooks and Remus collected his parchment and quills for him.

They finally reached the portrait of the fat lady and she asked them for the password.

"Dragon Foot," Remus said. The portrait swung open and let them in. They all carefully dropped Harry's things onto a table by the fireplace and Harry took a look at his bag.

There was a large split in the seam that spread across the entire bottom of the bag. Harry sighed and pulled out his wand.

" _Reparo_." He pointed his wand at the start of the tear and pulled it across until the hole was completely gone. " _Confirma_." Once the spell was said, he picked up his bag and examined it. The cloth that the bag was made of felt thicker in his hands, and he could feel the protective charm resonating in and around the bag.

"Mate, what charm did you just use?" Sirius asked. Harry stiffened slightly.

"Oh it was one I studied. It's a stronger protective charm. It protects an item against natural damage and basic spells," Harry replied. In actuality, it was one that Hermione had come up with. It was highly useful when they were on the run, hunting horcruxes. They had a limited supply of clothing that would have needed to last them. Harry gave Remus a meaningful look and he nodded in reply.

"What are we going to do about the books? The scouring charm didn't work on the stains," Remus said. James and Harry both shrugged as Sirius examined the stains in the books carefully.

" _Deletrius!_ " Sirius said, his wand aimed directly at one particular ink stain where there weren't any words already written on the paper. The ink went away and Sirius smiled brightly. "There's your solution."

"Yes but if you use that spell on the ink that spilt over the words in the book, the words will also disappear. That is not what we want, now is it?" Remus said.

"Bloody hell," Sirius whined.

"What did you do to your textbook?!" Behind them, Lily Evans was wide-eyed and staring straight at the mess in the middle of the table.

"Not us, some stupid Slytherin. They used a severing charm on Harry's bag," James said. "I swear, the next time a Slytherin does something to any of us, I will not just stand and watch."

"Egging them on, Potter, will only get you into more trouble. If the Slytherins are messing with you, you should tell a professor." Lily joined them, pulling her wand out. " _Sine Maculis._ There, now the stains are all gone. Maybe if you all read more, you'd know a few extra useful spells. That spell I just used is specifically to get rid of stains that aren't supposed to be there."

"Thank you, Evans." Harry said. He looked down at the potions ingredients, some were ruined, all of them were mixed up.

"I would just go buy new potions supplies if I were you. This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend and we don't have potions again until next week. You can get them before then." Lily stood back up and walked off.

"That's it," James said. He didn't seem angry, just determined. "I'm not hiding it anymore. I _really_ like that girl."

"We all know that, Jamie," Harry teased.

"Shut up," James said. "Anyways, Harry, you and Remus are the smartest ones out of the five of us. Will you show me some advanced spells? I need to impress her!"

"Mate, you're desperate." Sirius laughed, helping Harry re-organise his books and parchment.

"I am not!"

"Fine, I'll show you some spells. But not here. We'll have to do it privately," Harry said. He felt guilty, because he knew he'd have to find a way to tell James the truth some day, he just didn't know how he would.

"Right now?" James asked.

"Yeah, let's just get up to the dormitory. I'll be right up, let me pack my bag first." Harry began shoving the textbooks into his bag, and then he disposed of the now useless potions supplies. The other marauders, save Remus, were already heading up to the dormitory.

"That spell you used. It's not supposed to exist yet, is it?" Remus spoke extremely quietly, knowing Harry would still hear him because of his animagus senses.

"Nope."

"Do you think they'll remember it?" Remus said.

"Sirius and Peter? Nah. James? Possibly." Harry lifted his now full and sturdy bag.

"How do you know the spell?" Remus asked.

"My friend invented it. She's brilliant, really." Harry said.

"Were you and her...?"

"No. Absolutely not. She fancied my best mate. And my best mate fancied her. Although, I don't think they're together anymore." Harry narrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought.

"We'll talk about it more later. Let's get up to the dormitory before James wets himself," Remus joked. Harry smiled gratefully and followed Remus up to their shared dormitory.

* * *

 **On The Quidditch Pitch**

Harry, James, Sirius, and the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team were walking out onto the field in their gear, brooms in hand. They were up against Ravenclaw this time around.

The Ravenclaw team was entering the field from the opposite side, and the captains stepped forward to shake hands. Harry mounted his broom with everyone else and took his position. And when the whistle blew, he flew like nobody had ever flown before.

Bludgers missed him by inches as he dove this way and that, searching for the golden snitch.

"AND HARRY POTTER SHOWS QUITE IMPRESSIVE SKILL ON HIS BROOM AS HE DODGES YET ANOTHER BLUDGER!" The announcer, a fourth year Hufflepuff, said with a booming loud voice.

"GRYFFINDOR IS IN POSSESSION, WITH JAMES POTTER HOLDING THE QUAFFLE! HE DIVES FOR IT, AVOIDING THE RAVENCLAW TEAM'S IMPRESSIVELY BRILLIANT BARRICADE."

Harry stays further upward than everybody else, scanning both the pitch and the crowds for the small golden snitch. Suddenly, his eyes land on a small, golden, flittering ball right next to the Gryffindor stands.

"IT LOOKS AS THOUGH JAMES POTTER, WAIT, I MEAN HARRY POTTER HAS SPOTTED THE GOLDEN SNITCH. HE DIVES RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE GRYFFINDOR STANDS AND THE RAVENCLAW SEEKER IS JUST BEHIND HIM."

Harry knew the snitch was not there, but he made sure to obscure the sight in front of him away from the Ravenclaw behind him so that he didn't find out there was no snitch. He went downward faster and faster.

"DOUGLAS IS CATCHING UP TO POTTER, BUT BOTH ARE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE GROUND. THIS COULD END IN A SERIOUS DISASTER!"

As soon as Harry got four feet from the ground, he changed his direction completely, shooting back upward faster than he ever had before. He looped back around to the top of the Gryffindor stands and followed the snitch. It fluttered about people's heads, zooming this way and that until it flew in circles around students' heads.

He didn't take his eyes off the snitch as it picked different students to dance around. He got closer and closer, and then it started dancing around Lily Evans. He thought carefully how to get the snitch without running into the students, whose eyes were all wide, on him. Lily clearly saw the snitch dancing around her, but she froze in place as Harry Potter came straight toward her.

"POTTER, JUST WAIT FOR IT TO MOVE! YOU DO NOT NEED TO SKEWER A STUDENT!"

Harry brought his broom a few inches higher, and he curved slightly to the right, bringing it ever so slightly higher as he did so. He rotated on his broom so that his entire body was parallel to the ground and he reached down by Lily Evans' ear, where the snitch was.

Just as he grabbed the snitch he whispered "I wouldn't hurt you." and he righted himself onto his broom once more, diving down to the center of the quidditch pitch to be greeted by the rest of his team. He smiled to himself, knowing he was the only one that caught Lily's blush.

"Mate, that was brilliant!" Sirius said, clapping Harry on the back. But without any warning, James slammed him into the ground.

"Ouch! What's that for?" Harry said.

"You could have hurt her! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED HER!" James yelled.

"You know I'd never do that! I knew exactly what I was doing!" Harry said, bringing his fists up to pound James' sweaty chest.

"And what if you had fallen? You would have fallen right onto her!" James said, pounding his own fists into Harry's chest.

"James, STOP! You're out of control! I didn't fall, I wouldn't have fallen, and I was being careful! You know for a fact I would never hurt her because you'd kill me if I did!" Harry said.

Sirius dragged James off of Harry and held him back, putting his hands firmly onto his shoulders and facing him. He looked at James directly in the eyes. "James Charlus Potter, that is your brother. You know he didn't hurt her, so leave it alone."

Harry stood up and pushed past his team, who were all gathered around them, unsure of what to do. Harry didn't care that James liked Lily. He knew Lily was off-limits already. He wouldn't want to date his mum anyway. But James accusing him of hurting her was a whole new level of low for him.

Harry put his broom away and changed out of his quidditch robes quickly, and then he ran toward the castle at full speed, without looking behind.

* * *

 **In The Room of Requirement**

"Remus, he knows I didn't hurt her. She knows I didn't hurt her. He knows I would never even try to hurt her. I don't understand why he's being like this," Harry said.

"Mate, he likes her and quidditch is a dangerous sport. He just doesn't want anything to happen to her."

"I wouldn't ever let anything happen to her because if something happened to her, then I would vanish. You would never know me. Not now, not in the future," Harry said. "I have to make sure they both stay alive and well, and that they both get together in the end."

"Maybe you shouldn't try to push them together. Maybe you should let James mature, and Lily mature, and let them get together on their own time," Remus said.

"That's not my point. My point is that he's mad. And he may not realize it now, but he's gonna find out soon enough that there was no reason for him to go off on me. He's going to know eventually that he's just threatened his son," Harry gave a hefty huff and sank into one of the armchairs that the room of requirement had conjured up.

"Harry,-"

"I'm done talking for now, Remus." Harry transformed into his animagus and curled up on the armchair.

"It's understandable. I'll stay here with you." Harry transformed again at Remus' words.

"Thanks, mate, but you should go in your own bed where it's actually comfortable." Harry gestured to the couch he was lying on, as if to say it looked rock hard.

"I can sleep in a bed in here, you know." Remus stood up and walked over to where a duplicate of one of the four poster beds in their dormitory appeared. "You should sleep in a bed too."

Harry sighed as his armchair was transfigured by the room to make a bed for him. He silently cursed his luck.

* * *

 **Potions**

Harry sat beside Remus in their potions class following his and James' argument, as neither of them were talking to each other. They were to be brewing a cure for boils, and Harry and Remus were working together, while James, Sirius, and Peter worked together at a different table.

"Okay, we need to grab horned slugs, porcupine quills, and snake fangs. I'll get the quills and fangs, you can grab the slugs," Remus said.

They both moved away from their cauldron and went to the back of the room where the potion ingredients were.

When Harry and Remus made their way back to the cauldron, they continued to brew the potion, adding the ingredients when necessary, and they took every precaution with it. When it was time to stir the potion, Harry began to stir it counter-clockwise as the book said to do three times. When he had done that, he began stirring again in a clockwise motion as the book said to do five times. That was when all heck broke loose.

The potion bubbled rapidly and rose, as it was not supposed to do. Harry quickly reached over to turn down the heat, and just as he did so, the potion boiled over and hit his arm. Painful, blistering boils broke out all over his arm at once.

"What went wrong?" Harry asked Remus, wincing from the pain.

"I don't know, sabotage maybe?" Remus suggested.

Harry immediately turned around to find James sniggering uncontrollably. He narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"You think this is funny do you?!" Harry yelled, lifting his arm in front of his brother's face to show him just what damage he'd done. "I suppose this is your fault then?" He was just getting ready to use his good arm to punch his brother in the face when Remus grabbed his wrist to hold him back.

"Mate, don't start trouble." Remus pulled Harry to the front of the room where Professor Slughorn stood and showed him what had happened.

"Ah that is nasty business indeed, Mr. Potter. Mr. Lupin, will you escort him to the hospital wing, please?" Remus nodded and the two of them exited the room.

* * *

 **Hospital Wing**

"Oh you've definitely made a mess of yourself today, Mr. Potter. Nothing some simple potions can't fix," Madam Pomfrey scrambled about the hospital wing, grabbing a few different potions and pouring exact amounts into different small cups.

Harry took each one handed to him without complaint. A year on the run taught him to be grateful for whatever he was given despite the sometimes unbearable tastes. He watched as the boils on his arm were reduced to small burns.

The mediwitch took out her own wand and pointed it at the remaining burns. Harry stopped her before she could mutter any healing spells.

"Can you just bandage it?" Harry asked her.

"The spell doesn't hurt a bit, Mr. Potter, are you sure you don't want me to heal you completely?"

"Yes," He replied.

"Alright then," she said. She pointed her wand at his arm once more, but she didn't heal it, she simply produced bandages for it. "You're all set to go, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." Harry stood up and walked to the doorway of the hospital wing, focusing on the burning on his arm to try not to let his mind wander to who actually did the burning.

"Harry," Harry turned in the corridor once he heard his name called.

Lily Evans was standing about ten feet away from him, a look of relief on her face. She smiled at him and he gave a small smile back.

"I was just about to stop in to talk to you. James wasn't the one who sabotaged your potion. It was wrong for him to laugh about it, but I saw who actually did it, and I made sure to let Professor Slughorn know after class," She said. She shifted her stance a bit, and then looked up at Harry once more.

"Who was it then?" Harry asked.

"It was Severus," she spoke quietly, apologetic.

"What? I've never said anything or done anything out of line towards him, and that's how he repays me? It was always James and Sirius who spoke out against him. Never me," Harry said, outraged. "If anything, I've been the one sticking up for him."

"Severus doesn't know that. He can't tell the difference between you two," Lily replied. "I keep trying to tell him, but he can't be bothered by it he says."

"So you do know how to tell us apart?" Harry asked.

"When I meet people, twins especially, I take in every detail I can. I like to look for the differences in them. Studies show that if you can tell twins apart, it shows them you actually care enough to be able to do so." Lily looked down at the ground and ran her foot in circles on the stone floor.

"So then, what are the differences you've noticed?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, for instance, you've got a scar." Harry tensed as she said those words but allowed her to continue. "It's right below your jaw." He visibly relaxed. "And your eyes are shaped different. It's not nearly as noticeable, but if you look closely enough, you can tell that your eyes have a slightly different curve to them than his does."

Harry nodded and looked directly into her green eyes. "My eyes are more of the shape of my mother's, and his look more like my father's."

"Yes well, there are also differences in your personalities." Lily stepped a little closer, because it was growing awkward at the distance they were from each other. "While both of you seem to have short fuses, your brother's fuse seems to explode a bit more often, and with more intensity than yours." She smiled again as she glanced up at him. He was no longer smiling, but he also wasn't angry. He was just listening to her as she spoke. She stopped fidgeting with her foot and folded her hands together in front of her, taking to fidgeting with her thumbs. "You're less of a show-off than he is, but you're still a major show-off."

He chuckled and she smiled brighter. "I guess that's true isn't it?"

"He looked extremely hurt when you and Remus left the potions classroom," Lily said.

"I wonder, did he notice how hurt I was when he accused me of hurting you on the quidditch pitch? As if I'd ever be careless enough to-"

"Harry, please try to work it out with him." Lily looked at him with pleading eyes as they both turned to go different directions.

"If he's ready, he'll find me. He knows how to," Harry called back.

* * *

 **Quidditch Pitch**

Harry was out on the quidditch pitch, with the snitch in one hand, and his broom in the other hand. There was nobody else around, save for a few hufflepuffs who had just finished their quidditch practice. Harry let the snitch go, and it flew off. He mounted his broom and lifted off after it.

Harry zoomed this way and that, following directly behind the snitch most of the time. He could have gotten it in no time at all had he not purposefully been not catching it. At this moment, it wasn't for competition, it was just for a mindless chase.

"Oi! Potter!" He was interrupted by the Hufflepuff seeker, Louis Dearheart, who was mounting his broom. "Care for a little friendly competition?"

Harry nodded at him, and they both faced each other on their brooms, shook hands, and counted down from five. This allowed the snitch to get a head start once they finally started. Harry circled the pitch, keeping his eyes peeled for the small golden ball. He also kept his eyes on his opponent, to make sure he didn't find it first.

Flying just below Dearheart at the exact same speed was a small little snitch just waiting to be caught. Harry came behind Dearheart stealthily and turned upside down on his broom, reaching below him to get the snitch as he passed under the other seeker. When he caught the snitch, he righted himself and landed softly on the ground.

Louis Dearheart followed him and landed with a huge grin on his face. "You're mad, Potter. You're absolutely incredible, but you're mad."

"If you're determined enough to win, you take the risk," Harry replied. "Besides, I've been flying for years before I came here to Hogwarts."

"Want to have another go?" Louis asked.

"Harry." Harry heard James' voice, but he didn't turn around to acknowledge his presence. Instead, he let the snitch go, and he mounted his broom once more.

The two seekers ascended into the air and Harry heard James grumble below them. Harry faced Louis and then shook his hand. They counted down from five again, and as soon as they reached one, Harry zoomed off. He had already seen the snitch.

He dove for it, chasing after it with all the speed he could muster. When he got close enough to the ground, but not too close, he turned upside down and dropped his legs from the broom. He was only holding on by one hand as he reached down and grabbed the snitch and then swung himself back up onto the broom, righting himself once more. He landed in the center of the field and grinned at Louis.

"Bloody hell, Harry. I've got some serious competition in the upcoming match!" Louis said, but he grinned widely.

"I'm not _that_ good. You're not bad yourself."

"Liar," Louis retorted.

"What? You're a brilliant flyer!" Harry argued.

"I am, but you're better," Louis said. "And I think your brother wants to talk to you."

Harry narrowed his eyes and turned around, to where his brother was standing. He could see the apologetic look on his brother's face, but he couldn't bring himself to soften. "I suppose you've come to laugh at me? Is that why you're here?"

"Why would I? You've given no reason to laugh."

"But I did earlier, did I?"

"No, that was wrong of me to do, but I hadn't known it had hurt you. I didn't know you touched it," James looked at Harry directly in the eyes. "And I wasn't the one who sabotaged it either. I don't know who did but I swear it wasn't-"

"I know," Harry interrupted.

"You know?"

"I know it wasn't you because Lily Evans came and told me she saw who had done it." Harry made to turn away, but James had grabbed him by the wrist. Consequently, it was the wrist of the bandaged arm. "OUCH! Bloody hell, James watch your grip!"

"Sorry, I um, I forgot. Anyway, I came to apologise to you. I'm sorry. For everything. I'm sorry for blaming you for hurting Lily, and I'm sorry for laughing at you earlier," James said. It looked like it had taken all of his energy to come out with that apology, so Harry took pity on him.

"Consider yourself forgiven. Can I get back to playing now?" Harry asked.

"Who _did_ sabotage your potion?"

"I'd rather not tell you. I know you'll just go start something that doesn't need to be encouraged."

"Come on, Harry, please?" James begged.

"Later," Harry said as he mounted his broom.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Relationships, Dangers, and Promises

* * *

 **Fourth Year**

"It's okay, James. You're not going to get it right away. This is a really advanced spell. It took me forever to learn it. I spent most of my time trying to get it right, and I'm still not perfect at it," Harry said, trying to cheer up the greatly disheartened James.

"I've been trying forever."

"You've been trying for precisely…," Harry checked his watch. "Fourteen minutes. You have to think of the happiest memory you have. And you can't lose focus."

James brought his wand up once more and took a deep breath. " _Expecto Patronum."_

His wand emitted a silvery light, but it vanished after a few seconds. James brightened but only slightly.

"It's supposed to take a shape," He said.

"Hey, you've made progress, that's all I'm worried about right now," Harry commented. "Can I ask what memory you used?"

"The one when you-" He cut himself off, forgetting that they weren't alone. Remus was sitting on his bed reading a book.

"I already know you aren't twins," Remus said. "I've suspected it since first year, and confirmed it only recently."

"You told him?" James asked Harry.

"No, he found out on his own, but he promised he wouldn't tell," Harry replied. "Now continue with what you were saying already."

"I used the memory of Mum and Dad bringing you home. I had always wanted a brother, but I never thought I'd get to have a twin." James smiled as he remembered it.

"I hate to say it, but I don't think that's a happy enough memory," Harry said. James looked heartbroken. "Unless you can prove me wrong, you might have to change it."

"Fine. I'll prove to you that it was the happiest moment of my life. _Expecto Patronum!_ " James' wand emitted a silvery light. It was visibly brighter than the last, and it was beginning to take a shape. "Hey it's working!" And then the light was gone.

"James, you still have to keep focus on the memory even after you've said the spell. Try again."

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ James said once more, emitting the bright silvery light from his wand again. He focused on the memory as the patronus took its shape. "It's a stag!"

" _Expecto Patronum,_ " Harry said, showing James his own patronus, which was also a stag.

"Bloody hell, Harry. I didn't know it was possible to have the same patronus as somebody else! How is that-?"

"You have the same patronus." Remus said.

"Studies show that if you have the same patronus as another person, then you share a strong bond or connection with them," Harry answered. "But your animagus shows your inner personality and your inner strengths as well as your weaknesses, so when you successfully become an animagus, I doubt it will be the same as mine if I became one."

"That's, interesting."

* * *

 **Great Hall**

"Mate, you're mad," Harry told Sirius.

"Come on, she's the only witch aside from Lily who won't give me the time of day! I've got to try harder," Sirius whined.

"She's not giving you the time of day because she's not interested in you. Oi!" Harry called as Sirius ignored his words and stood to approach the young witch who was sitting next to Lily Evans.

"Ten galleons this ends in a disaster," Harry muttered to James.

"You're on."

"Oi, Prewett." Sirius sat across from the two witches as though he'd been invited, but he hadn't, and it showed clearly on their faces.

"Black," Alice Prewett acknowledged him.

"Hey, it's going better than I thought it would," Peter said hopefully.

"What do you say to going to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" Alice had been eating a sandwich, which she began choking on once the words escaped Sirius' mouth.

" _Anapneo_ ," Lily said, pointing her wand to her friend's throat. Alice immediately spit out the bit that she had choked on, and glared at Sirius.

"No."

"Oh, come on, you haven't even given me the chance!" Sirius whined. "You barely know me!"

"I know that you'd shag every girl in the school if you got the bloody chance," she said. "What else is there to know?"

"That's not true!"

"Oi! She said no, Black, leave it alone already!" Lily said.

"But-"

"Don't make me hex you." Lily raised her wand just above the table so that he could see it, but not enough for the professors to see.

"But I'm a sexy beast!" Sirius hissed.

"Oh bother, here we go," Harry said.

" _Acetus Inanis_." Lily hit Sirius with the modified vinegar hex, and only Harry seemed to know just what had been done as he burst out laughing.

"Harry, what spell was that?" James whispered.

"It was a modified vinegar hex. The original hex makes you taste vinegar anytime you eat or drink, that one makes you taste vinegar in your mouth anytime you say something arrogant or egotistical," Harry replied, attempting to keep his laughter to himself, but failing.

"Nice try, Evans. It looks like your spell didn't work," Sirius said.

"In due time," Lily said with a smile. "Unless you want me to hex you again?"

"No, my face is too pretty," Sirius said. As soon as his words were out of his mouth he screwed up his face in complete disgust and grabbed an empty goblet. Once his mouth was open, a clear liquid spilled out of it and into the goblet. "That's disgusting!"

"And the time has arrived," Alice said. "Goodbye, Sirius. Oh and you might want to brush your teeth again."

"My breath smells fantastic, thank you ve-" Sirius couldn't finish his sentence before more vinegar poured out of his mouth. "Goodbye to you, too." And he stood to leave them.

James handed Harry ten galleons as Sirius walked back over to them.

"I tried to tell you, Mate," Harry said.

"It's not over yet. I'll get her to crack soon. She can't say no to me forever. Just look at this beautiful figure," More vinegar spewed from Sirius' mouth and Harry and James laughed.

* * *

 **In the Gryffindor Common Room**

"Have you found the counter spell to it yet?" Sirius asked.

"We're still looking. You know, you could just go ask Lily to reverse it. Tell her you're sorry for harassing them, and then maybe she'll help you out," Harry suggested.

"No way, I am NOT going to do that. I will not show weakness. I am a lion for crying out loud! I'm fearless!" Sirius said. He prepared himself for the vinegar, spitting into a cup that Remus handed over to him.

"You'd think after three days, he'd finally be able to avoid it," James muttered, laughing. As he was doing so, he noticed Lily Evans walking past them. "Oi! Evans!"

Lily turned, looked at him, and then raised her eyebrow expectantly. "Yes?"

"Can you please reverse the hex already?" James asked.

Lily started laughing. "I think it's quite funny."

"I don't!" Sirius complained.

"What's the magic word?"

"Um… Lumos?" Sirius said. Harry smacked his hand to his face.

"It's _please_ you idiot!" Harry said.

"Oh. Evans will you _please_ reverse it?" Sirius begged.

"Okay. _Non Acetum_." She pointed her wand at him and then began to turn away.

"Hey! I _said_ please!" James said.

"You weren't the one who was hexed, Potter!" Lily called back as she walked away. "The person who is hexed should be the person begging forgiveness."

"Blimey!" James said indignantly.

* * *

 **Fifth Year**

"We have O.W.L.S. We need to figure out what we're doing with our lives. What subjects do we want to get outstanding in and what subjects are okay to do worse in? I personally want to be an auror," Harry said. Everyone but Remus stared at him dumbfounded.

"But it's always come natural to us for the most part. We've only ever needed to help Peter out a little bit more, but we can surely do it without having to overwork ourselves, right?" James said while eating another pepper imp.

"Jamie, we don't have to work hard, we just have to work harder than we have been," Harry explained. "Don't worry, I'll help you."

"I've just remembered, I've got to go to the front of the train for a prefects' meeting. I'll meet you guys later on," Remus said, excusing himself from the compartment apologetically.

"Oh alright, later, Mate." Sirius shoved one of Remus' forgotten pepper imps into his mouth.

"Guys, have you actually been to see Remus on a full moon yet?" Harry asked. They had just successfully become animagi at the very end of last year.

"No, we haven't had the chance because of summer holidays. Why?" James replied.

"I just want…" Harry trailed off and changed his mind. "No reason…" he said.

"Oh come on, mate, spill," Sirius said.

"It's nothing."

"Obviously it's something because if it was nothing you wouldn't have said anything." Peter was chewing on a licorice wand.

"It's nothing, Peter. Mind your own business."

James stood up and motioned for Harry to follow him. They left the compartment and found an empty one further down the aisle. James closed the doors and turned to Harry.

"What's up?" He asked him.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into, that's all." Harry sat himself down in a seat. James sat across from him.

"What do you mean? We'd be completely safe from harm because we're going to be in our animagus forms," James said.

"Yeah, but if you approach a werewolf in your animagus form, it will feel threatened. You have to submit to it, and be ready to join it's pack. Remus will be your alpha," Harry replied.

James narrowed his eyes at his twin. "And how do you know this?" He asked.

"James, I chose not to join you in your animagus training because I'm already an animagus. I know this because I have joined Remus on the full moon before. We're in our own pack, and he's the alpha," Harry said.

"How did you become an animagus? When did you become an animagus?" James asked, shocked.

"I've been an animagus since second year. I studied and studied and I did a lot of hard meditations and then when McGonagall took me to Dumbledore's office, he never silenced me, he just reprimanded me. It was when I was walking toward you all on the grounds that I put the mandrake leaf in my mouth and told you I'd been silenced." Harry paused before continuing, watching guiltily as James looked hurt. "I didn't want to hurt you, I just know that it's really hard to do, and if I had included you and it went wrong, I didn't want to see you get heartbroken at a failure."

"No, it's okay. I understand. Now, we're all animagi and we can all join each other on the full moons," James said.

"Yes. But, I don't want to tell Sirius or Peter that I'm an animagus. I'd rather them find out on their own, but I'm going to keep it from them as long as I can. Especially Peter. I hope you understand," Harry said. James looked thoughtful but immediately became ecstatic.

"Remus and I are in on a secret of yours that Sirius and Peter aren't in on. That makes me feel better, mate."

* * *

 **In Their Dormitory**

"I don't believe it!" James shouted indignantly. "I thought we were getting on pretty well! Why does she have to take it so seriously! It's a bloody prefects' badge! It doesn't make her any higher than the rest of us!"

"Mate, to be fair, you _did_ break school rules. And you _did_ pick a fight with Snape. She's only doing her job as a prefect. If it had been me, I would have done the same thing," Remus said. He was writing on a piece of parchment, with books sprawled across his bed.

Harry was lying face up on his bed sending sparks up with his wand. His mind was elsewhere, clearly disturbed by the speeding time, as if each year only lasted a week. Things were not going as he'd hoped, but then he remembered stories overheard a long time ago, of how his parents hadn't truly gotten along until seventh year, when they were head boy and girl. But then there was the problem of how close he had gotten to his brother, how he never thought of him as his father anymore. What would he do when he went back to his own time, and his brother was long dead? How would he be able to cope with that?

"It's not fair!" James whined. "I was doing great, but we all know I'm no good at following rules! It's so hard!"

"Eventually it will be necessary for survival," Harry grumbled, more to himself than anyone else. But they all still heard him.

"What are you on about?" Sirius said.

"Oh go on, can't you see how bad it's getting? There are students here at Hogwarts who are beginning to join forces with Voldemort. They have the marks to show for it. Muggles and muggle-borns are _dying_ and yet here we are, blinded by all of it simply because we're not old enough to be a part of it!" Harry's voice was rising steadily until he was almost screaming. "Once we get out of the safety of the walls of Hogwarts, we're _all_ at risk! Any one of us could die at any given moment! Any one of us could turn against the other one without a second thought!" Harry laid his eyes on Peter, daring him to squirm under his almost lethal glare.

"Harry, we're all in this together until the end. We will all stay together until the very end, and we will not go down without a fight. Whatever happens will happen, but we can change the outcome if we change our attitudes," Sirius said, looking at Harry, concern in his eyes.

"Bad things will happen, and I fear that there will be no changing the outcome in the end," Harry replied.

Remus looked directly at Harry understanding the extreme pain that Harry was feeling. Harry stood from his bed, and without a word, he left the dormitory, slipping out of the common room.

* * *

 **Dumbledore's Office**

"Ahh, Harry. You seem conflicted." The professor was sitting behind his desk, helping himself to a lemon drop that sat in a bowl to the side.

"Professor, I can't handle it anymore. I know that with every day that passes is a day closer to my brother's death. I need help," Harry admitted.

"You can't change the past Harry, because in doing so, you will change the future that comes after it."

"I know, Sir. Believe me, I know. But when Voldemort attacked my parents, it was my father who died first. My mother was the one who sacrificed herself to keep me alive. I know she has to die, but James doesn't necessarily." Harry stared at Dumbledore as the professor studied him closely.

"I don't think I'm following," the professor stated. "If your father died, and everyone knows him to be dead, then finding a way to save him will change everything."

"I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been studying it. I've been coming up with numerous different solutions. And I think I've found a way to make it work."

"Harry, I know you'd do absolutely anything to make it work, but I just don't think there's really any possible solution for-"

"Just hear me out, Professor." The headmaster nodded at Harry's plea. "People will still have to think that James died. I will still have to live my life up until I am eighteen believing that both of my parents were killed by Voldemort. But that doesn't mean James can't show up later in my life."

"But how would that be made possible?" Dumbledore asked. "You said he was there, warning your mother that Voldemort had found them. You said Voldemort killed him."

"Well, at first I thought of apparition, but aside from the fidelius charm, I was told that many other charms had been placed on their house to keep intruders away. I'm guessing that included apparition and disapparition. So then I thought of the floo network, but then I realized that would have been even riskier. But then I thought about how I had gotten here. Ultimately, up until the time I was attacked and sent back to this time, I believed my father was dead. So, it only made sense that in order to keep from changing the timeline, he would have to reappear nearly seventeen years later than he disappeared," Harry paused, making sure the headmaster was following his words. Albus Dumbledore motioned for him to continue. "So use the time turner. The same one I brought back with me. I don't need it to get back to my own time. I will begin to disappear once I am conceived. I don't need the time turner to help me. So find a way to use the time turner to get him to nineteen ninety eight. July, nineteen ninety eight, to be exact."

"You've thought this out well, Harry." Dumbledore had a grave expression on his face, as if he had his doubts that it would truly work. "How do you know he won't appear a week before it's time for you to come here?"

"You'll have to tell him that no matter when he appears in the future, he can't show himself to me until after I return. He's smart, he knows it would be dangerous. He also knows how to hide himself. He knows that very well, trust me. If you don't help me, I'll find a way to do it myself."

Albus Dumbledore looked slightly pleased with Harry's determination. He smiled at the fifteen year old and opened his mouth to speak. "Mr. Potter, you have my word that I will do everything in my power to find a way for this to work. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee anything, but I assure you, I will do my best."

"I have no doubts," Harry replied, standing up to leave.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Shaking Off a Predator

* * *

 **Sixth Year**

"James, where have you been?" Harry asked the young marauder, who was climbing through the portrait hole, his arms behind his back.

"Nowhere, just walking." James kept his arms hidden behind his back, sitting down in an arm chair.

"Alright, spill. What're you hiding?" Sirius said.

"Nothing. See?" He pulled his arms out, lifting them to show that nothing was there.

"Very funny, James. It's obvious there's something still behind your back," Remus said.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Nothing, Peter. Mind your own business," James snapped.

" _Accio!_ " Harry said, aiming his wand in the space between James' back and the back of the chair. James shot his arms back, grabbing whatever it was and holding it down. "Fine, you win."

"Hey, Harry." Harry turned to find Lily Evans and Alice Prewett standing behind them.

"Hey, Evans, Prewett. Something wrong?"

"No, actually. It's just that, you lot seem to get along well with Longbottom, and as you know, Alice likes him, and he likes Alice. But, the thing is, he's been acting distant," Lily replied.

Harry lied back on the couch and laughed. "He's a nervous wreck."

"Why's he nervous?" Alice asked.

"Really? Don't you know how much he likes you? But he's shy, introverted, and he doesn't know how to talk to girls nearly as well as I do," Harry smirked when Sirius punched him in the arm.

"So you're saying he's avoiding me because he's scared?" Alice asked.

"See, Ali? I told you it was nothing to worry about," Lily said.

Harry closed his eyes, and then he heard Lily speak directly to him.

"Thank you, Harry. I'm sorry to have bothered you. See you later, Remus, Peter. Bye Black, bye Potter."

"So you lot are on a first name basis with her, but Sirius and I are reduced to Black and Potter?!" James asked indignantly.

"It's not like I do anything to deserve it. I try so hard not to get involved, you know that, James." Harry sat up and turned to his brother. "I'm not interested in her, even if I was, I know that you liked her first, and I know my boundaries. I don't open up to her, and I always tell you when she talks to me."

"I know, I know. But why does she like you more than me? We're twins, for crying out loud!" James ran his hand through his hair.

"It'll happen in due time, Jamie. You have to be patient. And maybe if you learned how to act more humble, it would work out better for you," Harry said. "I noticed that that's what seems to push her away from you. Remember what she did to Sirius when he tried to get Alice to go to Hogsmeade with him? He was acting cocky. That's why she did that."

"Put that same spell on me then! It'll help me learn!"

"If you insist," Harry said, amused, as he lifted his wand up to his brother. " _Acetus Inanis._ "

* * *

 **In The Library**

Harry sat at a table in the back, books everywhere. He wasn't really interested in anything that he was reading, but he hoped that he'd be able to find something useful in helping Dumbledore save James. He turned pages, skimming through and double checking everything. He heard things in the background, like someone sneezing, someone putting a book back on the shelf, another person dragging their feet. But he chose to reduce it to just what it was: background noise.

"What are you reading?" He looked up just as Lily Evans sat down across from him. He shut his book immediately, pretending he was startled.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just studying, I guess." Harry began to close and stack the other books, and Lily picked one of them up.

" _Dissecting the Properties of a Time-Turner_? We learned about time turners in fourth year, why are you studying them now?" Lily asked.

Harry gently took the book from her, and began placing them back in their appropriate places on the shelves. Lily came beside him, with a few books in her arm, helping him.

"It was interesting," Harry replied. "I was curious."

"Is that something you'd like to do when you graduate? Study time travel?" She questioned.

"No, not really. I'd like to become an auror, actually."

"That's a very interesting choice, but also very dangerous. I suppose the aurors could use someone with knowledge of a time turner though," she smirked. "You never know what crimes could be associated with one."

"Yeah," He responded half heartedly.

"Listen, Harry, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to-"

"Oi! Harry hurry up, we're going to be late!" Harry and Lily both turned to see Sirius walking over.

"Sorry, Evans, I have to go," Harry said to Lily. He walked in Sirius' direction ignoring the hurt look on Lily Evans' face.

When they were out of earshot, Sirius muttered to Harry. "What was that?"

"I keep trying to tell you guys, I don't know how to get her off my case, but I think she fancies me, and this isn't how it's supposed to be." Harry walked, his eyes looking straight forward.

"You're going to tell James about this, right?"

"Obviously. We need to think of something to get her to lose interest in me."

"Why not try acting extra cocky?" Sirius suggested as they climbed the stairs to get to the third floor.

"It won't work. She'll know I'm only trying to get her to lose interest, and then she'll try harder. She's stubborn."

"Well we've gotta think of something, and fast," Sirius said as they gave the portrait the Gryffindor password and climbed through the opening.

"Oi, James!" Harry called. James was sitting by the fire, his back facing the entry to the common room. He was hunched over something that they couldn't see.

" _Delitesco_ ," Harry heard James mutter. He knew then that James was definitely hiding something, but he chose to ignore it as James turned to acknowledge them. "What is it?"

"We've got a huge problem, Mate," Sirius said.

"It's not _huge_. It's nothing we can't easily figure out," Harry said.

"What is it?" James repeated more intensely.

"Lily's got it bad for Harry!" Sirius blurted out. Harry punched him hard in the arm and opened his mouth to speak before James had time to get mad.

"She keeps trying to ask me out or something and every time it's happened I've been saved by something or someone, but I don't know how long I can keep it up!"

"You have to get her to stop liking you! Make her like me!" James whined.

"I can't make her like you, I can find a way to get her to stop liking me, but how?" Harry said.

"I don't know, find another girl!"

"No way! I'm not going into that! No relationships! I don't need a girl on my arm telling me what to do and what not to do!"

"Then find a boy!"

"WHAT? YOU'RE MAD!" Harry yelled.

"It doesn't have to be a real boyfriend or anything. You don't even need to find a fake one! Just make her think you like boys!" James said.

"It's not a bad idea, Mate. You don't even have to tell her you're gay, just pretend you're concerned with a particular boy, and she'll back off." Sirius was playing with his almost shoulder length hair.

Harry smiled deviously. "Then how about you be my lap dog, Sirius."

"What? But what about my reputation with all the girls?"

"Oh come off it, you can like both girls and boys. Besides, I highly doubt you'd ever have a problem with it," Harry said.

"Oh alright. Fine."

* * *

 **The Common Room**

Harry sat on the couch in front of the fire reading a book. James was sprawled across the floor and Remus leaned up against the couch reading a book of his own. Peter was eating some of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Sirius, however was nowhere to be found.

"Hello, Harry," Lily said. Just as she almost finished her sentence, Harry spoke.

"Has anyone seen Sirius?"

"Oh, um, well, no," Lily said. "But anyways, I was wondering if you might want to-"

"Sirius! Where have you been?" James shouted over across the room. Sirius was just entering to the common room.

"Oh, hello. Sorry, I was being reprimanded by Minnie." He strode over to the couch and stretched across the whole of it, his head landing on Harry's thigh.

"What did you do this time?" Lily asked.

"Nothing!" Sirius said indignantly.

"Anyways, Harry, I was just wanting to ask you if-"

"Sirius, why are you sweaty?" Peter asked. "Oh, sorry Lily, I didn't mean to interrupt you I just-"

"No, I'll just go now. I'll talk to you later, Harry." Lily snapped and walked away.

Harry laughed at Sirius' sweaty face as Sirius huffed and began to talk. "I had to run back to the common room. McGonagall threatened that if I wasn't in the common room in the next three minutes, she would take two hundred points from Gryffindor. I was all the way on the other side of the castle!"

"What did you do, Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I said, I didn't do anything!" Sirius crossed his arms indignantly and let out a huff.

"Okay," James said with a teasing tone.

* * *

 **The Great Hall**

Harry and James sat side by side, with Remus and Peter sitting across them at the Gryffindor table. Harry was putting food onto James' plate, and James was doing the same with Harry's as was their routine ever since their first year. They poured each other's drinks and then began to eat their food. Sirius came into the hall a few moments later, his hair a mess and his eyes showing how tired he was.

"Did you just wake up?" Harry asked him as he sat down beside him.

"Yeah. Rough night."

"Hey, mate. Eat quickly, it's almost time for quidditch!" James said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Sirius said, piling food onto his plate. "Harry, why'd you have to quit on us? It's not the same without you."

"I just didn't want to do it anymore." Harry squirmed in his seat, cringing at the lie. In truth, he had really missed playing quidditch. It was the attention he didn't like. He was worried if he drew too much attention to himself, he'd make a mistake that could greatly impact the future.

"But it's quidditch!" James whined.

"I know, and I still love quidditch, but I don't want to play for the team anymore." Harry was eating his food, watching as James and Sirius both shoved food in their mouths and then stood.

"Maybe next year? Please?" Sirius begged.

"Maybe," Harry replied as Sirius clapped him on the back and then ran off after James.

"Harry, Lily's about to come over here," Remus whispered. Before he finished his sentence, Harry stood abruptly.

"I'm going to go use the restroom really quickly, and then I'll save us seats at the pitch," Harry said. He turned to begin jogging away, and muttered a quick 'hello Lily' on his way without a second glance.

* * *

 **The Quidditch Pitch**

Harry arrived slightly earlier, and saw that the teams were flying laps around the pitch to warm up. He made his way to the Gryffindor stands and took a seat at the front. The players zoomed by on their brooms and Harry watched them avidly.

Students began filing into the stands and Remus sat beside Harry at the front. Frank Longbottom sat on his other side and soon Lily and her friends were sitting behind the boys.

"Do you think we'll win again?" Peter asked Remus.

"Of course we'll win, James and Sirius are on the team, for crying out loud. Do you really think that they'd allow us to lose?" Harry replied before Remus could open his mouth to speak.

"Hey it's starting," Remus said. And there it was, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game began. Sirius darted around on his broom with the beaters' bat in hand. When he flew close enough to the gryffindor stands, he winked over at Harry and then hit the bludger right over to the opposing team. It hit a chaser squarely in the stomach, and said chaser flew backward a few feet before vomiting in the middle of the field. It was a disgusting sight.

Harry watched Sirius and his brother closely - mostly keeping his eye on Sirius - until the game ended and Gryffindor won two hundred to fifty.

 **Winter Holidays**

Harry and James sat in the floo room, working on the last adjustments of their potion. Remus had already worked out most of the kinks for them, but it did take longer than they had hoped for. Remus was at home with his own family right now having left Potter manor the day before, and Peter's mum wouldn't let him come at all. Sirius had been with them until the day before Remus left. He hadn't planned on leaving them, but Sirius' mother sent an owl, ordering him to come home straight away. He couldn't refuse.

So now, it was just James and Harry, and their dad occasionally. The twins' mother had already gone off to bed by now, as it was getting pretty late in the evening.

Fleamont Potter had just stepped out of the room once again when the floo sputtered to life. At first, all they saw were green flames. And for a while, it was nothing but small green flames. But finally, the small green flames grew bigger and suddenly there was a bloodied body lying face down on their carpet.

Once they realized what had just happened, Harry and James jumped up and ran to the heap slumped into the carpet and did their best to turn the body over. When they saw who it was, they both went wide eyed and simultaneously called for the house elves.

Bucky and Becky appeared with a pop and squeaked at the horrible scene before them. James shushed them and whispered directions.

"Bucky, get Dad. Becky stay here and help us with him." At that point Harry had already gotten his wand out, but just before he did anything, he realized the mistake put it back in his pocket before James noticed. Or at least, he didn't think James had noticed. Considering James' best friend was lying on their carpet, gasping for breath and bleeding everywhere, Harry wouldn't have thought his brother would notice his slip-up. Bucky disapparated and Becky kneeled before Sirius, examining the cuts and slices on his skin.

"What on Earth happened?" Fleamont Potter was rushing over to them with his wand out and he leaned over Sirius' head. There were quite a few open gashes on his head that were still bleeding profusely. The pepper haired man used some quick healing spells to close them up and he cleaned off the blood. He moved on to the other wounded areas, working quickly to stop the bleeding and close the open gashes. Becky cleaned them as he continued his healing, and Harry and James just watched with wide-eyed and worried expressions.

Fleamont moved as quickly as possible, working on the bigger wounds first. He was almost finished sealing one of the lacerations when the seizing started. He stopped everything he was doing and turned to look down at Sirius' head. His mouth was dripping with blood and drool and his eyes were halfway open now. He was spluttering and coughing like mad, and Harry and James turned away, gripping each other tightly.

"Harry, go get some blood replenishing potion. James, get the Antidote to Common Poisons and the burn-healing paste." Fleamont instructed Becky and Bucky to keep Sirius still while he worked on more of the lacerations. He pulled Sirius' shirt up to make sure there were no more injuries hidden by his clothing. Then he saw the bruises. There were bruises and burns scattered all over Sirius' stomach and chest. Fleamont had to cut his shirt off of him.

That was when his eyes fell on the skin of Sirius' left forearm. There was a dark black blob formed there. It would seem that Somebody had tried to force Sirius into becoming a Death Eater.

The twins came back with the supplies requested by their father, and he made quick work with it. Sirius was awake enough now that when Fleamont Potter helped him into a sitting position, leaning him against the shelf nearby, he was able to open his mouth and swallow the foul potions he had been given. The seizing had stopped as well as the bleeding from the mouth. Fleamont took the burn-healing paste and began spreading it over the blistering burns scattered about Sirius' skin.

When he was finished, Fleamont carefully picked Sirius up and brought him to Harry's room. He set him down in Harry's bed, and that's when Sirius broke. He began bawling and wailing and Fleamont looked properly taken aback for just a moment, but he then collected himself and turned to Becky who had followed him.

"Get a calming draught, and dreamless sleep. Maybe a draught of peace as well."

Becky disapparated and apparated back in record time. Her hands held three vials of potions, and Fleamont thanked her for her hard work. He took to unscrewing the corked lids off of the potions and gave them to Sirius, who took them without complaint. Eventually, his wailing stopped and was replaced by quiet snoring.

 **The Night Before The Full Moon**

Harry, Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter all sat huddled in the common room. They were planning yet another full moon.

"Okay, so Remus is going to the hospital wing tomorrow morning, the rest of us will leave in pairs later tomorrow night, just before the moon rises." James was drawing this plan out, seeing as he was much more visually minded.

"Okay and who pairs with who?" Peter asked.

"Dogs with dogs," James said, trying to contain his laughter. Harry rolled his eyes and lightly punched his brother on the arm. James had added two horribly drawn dogs to the picture. He then charmed it so that the dogs were transforming from people into dogs and walking toward the whomping willow.

When they heard footfalls coming from the stairs, James muttered _Delitesco_ , pointing his wand to the parchment he had drawn on. The parchment flew in between the pages of a textbook lying beside Harry. At the foot of the stairs, Lily Evans appeared.

"What are you five doing up so late?" She asked, making her way to their corner.

James pulled open a textbook he found sitting by Remus and then looked up and responded. "Trying to help Remus with his ancient runes homework."

"That's arithmancy, Potter, not runes." Lily frowned at him and crossed her arms in a pout.

"That too," James replied. Harry sniggered.

 **The Next Night**

"Shhh, we have to stay quiet." Harry and Sirius were under the invisibility cloak. They had agreed that one group would go with the cloak and the other group would go with the newly finished map.

They made their way out to the grounds, where they transformed into their animagus forms and raced past the beating limbs of the whomping willow. Harry tucked the invisibility cloak into a nook in the tunnel and made his way down the dark path, sniffing around with his heightened senses.

Once they were all in the shrieking shack, they waited for Remus' transformation. They hated hearing his screams, and watching as he tore at his own skin from all of the pain, but they stayed with him, ready to distract him once the transformation was complete.

They would rough house and fight and chase each other around all night, playing and howling and charging. And once they got tired, they would all claim a corner of their own and curl up to sleep.

They would wake early the next morning, before Madam Pomfrey returned to collect Remus, and they would leave from the tunnel and race along the edges of the forbidden forest until they were on the other side of the castle, where they would sneak in and transform once again, heading for the great hall.

There at the great hall, Lily Evans would send them questioning glares, having abandoned her crush on Harry over a month prior. She had suspected him of being gay, and so she began to treat him just like James. This made James happy, and they all began getting along much better because of it.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Burdens

* * *

 **Summer Begins**

"I hate exams," Sirius groaned. They had just finished their last exam for this term, and they were all relieved. Now, they were headed to the common room with all of their books in tow.

"They're not that bad," Remus said.

"Says the one who actually likes to study on his free time," Peter said. He was a bit sweaty from the anxiety that the exams brought upon him.

"Yeah well, it looks like I'm not the only one. At least I don't hide it." Remus smirked over at James who got red in the face.

"I have a reputation! I don't want people thinking I'm a nerd," James responded in his defense.

"Jamie, nobody thinks Remus is a nerd. They just think he's the quiet, calm, and collected one. He's the mature one in the group. Maybe if certain people found you reading more often, they'd like you better." Harry emphasized the words 'certain people' and James turned up his head.

"My rambunctiousness is my best quality."

"Your rambunctiousness is your most annoying quality." They all turned to find Severus Snape following behind them. Harry narrowed his eyes at him, but said nothing. He left that to James and Sirius.

"What are you doing on the fourth floor, Snivellus?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, Dungeons are downstairs, in case you're lost." James glared at him.

"My business on the fourth floor is my business. Now if you're done here, I'll be on my way." Snape pushed past them roughly and sped along the corridor.

James narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, Harry was taking off after the greasy haired Slytherin.

The rest of the marauders followed him, but they stayed a few paces behind once they reached their friend and their foe.

"It's none of your business what I'm doing here, Potter," Snape spat.

"It's all of my business. This is the Gryffindor common room, and in case you didn't notice, I am a Gryffindor," Harry replied, as calmly as possible.

"Now look here you little-"

"No. You look here. I never said or did anything to wrong you. Not me personally. If you don't know how to tell me and my brother apart, that's your own fault. I tried to help you. Bloody hell, I even defended you," Harry paused for a second and then continued before Snape could interrupt. "And you repay me with sabotaged potions, whispered jinxes, and stealing my books!"

Snape backed away a half step, his face contorted with anger and denial. "I didn't-"

"You're pathetic! You called Lily a foul name and then you think you can come up here and stalk her until she breaks! You torture me and my friends out of hate and jealousy and then you sit here and deny every bit of it! You think you can find some sort of justification for it! You are absolutely PATHETIC!"

And with that, Harry whispered the password and stormed inside the common room. The rest of the marauders followed. Snape stood there completely dumbfounded.

…

Behind them, people were gathering themselves onto the train and rushing about every which way. Together, they stood in a circle whispering among themselves.

"Mum said I could go for only a week," Peter muttered glumly. "She doesn't really… Nevermind."

"I'm staying with you lot the entire time. Mum couldn't be happier to have me gone. Seeing as I… you know." Sirius turned away, his face getting dark and stony. Harry and James had never mentioned to either Remus or Peter what happened over the winter holidays. Sirius was grateful for it, because it made him feel pathetic and embarrassed. He had told them all about how Lord Voldemort came to visit them over the Holidays. How he and his brother were expected to join the ranks of the Death Eaters and do the Dark Lord's bidding. Regulus was ecstatic. But Sirius wouldn't have it. And he was tortured harshly by his mother after Voldemort left.

"Mum and Dad want me to go home during the full moons, but they said I could stay with you lot most of the summer holidays. Just take away a week in July when we go to Ireland," Remus said. "They finally saved up enough money for it."

"Awesome!" Harry cheered.

They climbed onto the train and claimed their usual compartment. They played exploding snap and picked on each other during the ride, until Harry finally grabbed his school bag and excused himself.

"Are you alright, mate?" James asked.

"I need some time alone for a bit. I'm fine, I just haven't had much time to think, with the exams and everything." He turned away and left the compartment, searching for an empty one somewhere else. He was just about to give up when he found one, it was empty save for some leftover trash. He vanished the garbage and sat himself down. He muttered a few quick spells for privacy, such as _Muffliato_ and other spells that Hermione had taught him while they were on the run. He locked the compartment and made it inaccessible to anyone on the outside.

This was something he needed to be secure and alone for. He pulled the box out of his school bag. It was something he had forgotten about for a while, and he needed to make it up to himself. He took the pensieve out and put in the memories, memory after memory, and then he plunged his face into the small pool.

Images swam by, memories of his first life. Memories of his first time at Hogwarts, memories of the first time he met the older version of Remus and Sirius. He watched memories of people talking about his parents, he watched memories of Voldemort. It was like a fast paced movie. Everything happened so quickly, and you couldn't quite grasp it well, but it was all there.

Now, more than ever, he felt burdened with the knowledge that his time was coming, and soon he would vanish, to be sent back to his own time. And he would lose his father in a whole new way… he would lose his brother.

Harry put the memories back into the vials, closing everything up and putting it away. But he sat in the compartment for a long while, just sitting. What could he do? He couldn't change the past, so how would he possibly make this all better?

He stood up slowly, taking the protective spells down. Before he could move to exit the compartment, James knocked on the door and slid it open.

"Harry? Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, fine."

"You've been gone for half an hour. What's wrong?" James sat down, and Harry sat back down as well.

"Nothing, honest."

"Are you hiding something from me?" James asked.

"No. I just needed to think. I needed to breathe." Harry stared out of the window, watching as the shapes flew by.

"Okay, well come on, we're almost home." James stood up and offered Harry his hand. Harry took it, grabbing his bag on his way out of the compartment. "You might want to wipe the tear from your eye, Harry."

Harry hadn't realised he had been crying. He quickly dried his face and kept walking. He was thankful that James hadn't asked any more questions.

When they got off the train, they met up with Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, and having earned their apparition licenses, they prepared themselves to apparate. Peter was the only one in the group who hadn't earned his license, so he side-along apparated with Fleamont Potter.

This is where the summer holidays began.

 **At Potter Manor**

Harry and James showed Peter and Remus to a guest room, while Sirius made his way over to his designated room. After the incident over the winter holidays, Mr. and Mrs. Potter told him he would always have a place to stay at their manor, and they gave him his own bedroom.

Once everybody was situated into their rooms, they all made their way to the dining table for a late dinner. The food was incredible, and Bucky and Becky had prepared tons of food for their 'Welcome Home' feast.

"I could get used to this," Peter commented.

James smiled brightly at him between mouthfuls of bread rolls.

Harry was stuffing himself with shepherd's pie, casseroles, vegetables, and pastries. Actually, all of them were stuffing themselves, everyone but Euphemia and Fleamont. Once they were full, they made their way to their respective rooms. Harry said his goodnights and he went into his room, closing the door behind him. He changed into night clothes, and then he climbed into his bed. But he stared at the ceiling for a very long time, his glasses still on his face, and his wand in his hand.

He absently played with spells and charms, making things appear and disappear. He tried not to think about everything. As he was playing with his patronus, he heard a knock at the door. His patronus disappeared quickly, and Fleamont Potter let himself into Harry's room.

"Hey Dad."

"Hey, Son. Everything alright?" Fleamont sat himself on the edge of Harry's bed.

"Yeah, I guess."

"No, Harry, I can tell something's wrong. What's going on?" Fleamont looked down at his son, who was really his grandson, but he had no way of knowing that.

"I can't really talk about it, I mean-"

"I know you're from the future Harry. Dumbledore's told us that much." Fleamont spoke more sternly now.

"I've seen things in the future, and knowing that I can't change it without great consequence, it's killing me, Dad." Tears formed in Harry's eyes, and Fleamont softened.

"Hey, it's alright. You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to, but, I'm sure if you've dealt with it once, you can deal with it again, right?"

"That's the thing. I grew up without my father and mother. Now, I have both a father and a mother, and my real father is now my brother. I can't lose what I have now," Harry said.

"You mean, you're my grandson?"

"No, not anymore. I am your son now. And James is my brother. But that's not the point. The point is that I can't lose this now. It's killing me."

"Hey, Son, it's okay. You know, I think you're lucky. At least you have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. Some people don't have that. And it's not goodbye just yet."

"But it will be, Dad. It will be goodbye. Sooner now than before. I can't do it. I can't say goodbye. I can't say goodbye to you, Mum, James, Sirius, or Remus. I just… can't." Harry fiddled with his wand and looked back up at his dad's confused face.

"What about Peter, son?" Fleamont asked.

"It's better I don't answer that. You won't want to know."

"I'll respect that. How about you show me your patronus? I heard it was pretty good for a wizard as young as yourself." Fleamont smiled at his son. Harry smiled back.

"I've had years of practice at it. It's really nothing special." Harry moved his wand, and he silently cast his patronus.

"You can cast it silently!" Fleamont exclaimed.

"I can cast a lot of spells silently. I've been working with Dumbledore on it. He says I'll soon be able to try wandless magic," Harry said quietly.

"Dad, what am I going to do?"

"Live, Harry. Don't worry about what will happen, just live in the moment for now. You can worry about it later." Fleamont patted Harry on the shoulder and then stood to go. As he was reaching the door, Harry called out to him once more.

"Dad?" Harry said.

"Yes Harry?"

"It's later," he said with a smirk.

Fleamont laughed, really laughed, and he bid Harry goodnight with a smile on his face. When the door closed, Harry sighed and took his glasses off, setting them on the nightstand with his wand. He went to sleep quicker than usual this time.

" _Potter, what do you-" Lily Evans had been interrupted by James who shushed her. His ear was pressed against a classroom door._

" _It's not empty," he whispered. "There are two people in there from the sounds of it."_

 _Lily narrowed her eyes and joined James at the door. They were pressed against it for a while, facing each other, but focused on the voices on the other side. They couldn't hear much, but it sounded like arguing between two male students._

 _Lily looked up at James, and they seemed to have made silent communication, because James nodded, and then Lily started counting down from three very quietly. On one, James shoved the door open and moved in first, followed by Lily._

 _They were faced with Severus Snape and Regulus Black. The two Slytherins spun around quickly, facing the head boy and girl._

" _What are you two doing out of bed past curfew?" Lily asked._

" _That's none of your business, Lily." Snape shuffled his feet._

" _It is every bit of my business, I'm the head girl. Fifty points will be taken from Slytherin. Get to your common room, both of you, now," Lily said._

 _Regulus made eye contact with Lily, his eyes were menacing. Lily moved her hand toward her pocket, where her wand was stashed._

" _I don't take orders from mudbloods, Evans," He spat._

 _James stepped forward, his face contorted with anger, his wand now out of his pocket. He stood only three feet away from the younger Black. When he finally spoke, his voice was a dangerous growl._

" _Then you'll take orders from me. Get. Lost. Now, before you get hexed into next year, Black." His wand was pointed directly at the boy's heart. Lily came forward and gently pulled James' wand down._

" _I'm surprised you can even count that far. And news flash: I don't listen to filthy blood traitors either, Potter._ Affli-"

" _Expelliarmus," Lily said quickly. Catching his wand as it flew to her hand. "I'll return your wand to your head of house, go to your dormitories, both of you. Fifty more points will be taken from Slytherin for attempting to assault the head boy." Lily's face was guarded, and when Severus Snape tried to meet her eye, she turned away abruptly._

 _When the Slytherins left, James turned to face her. "Are you alright?"_

" _Fine, Potter, thank you. I'm going to go bring his wand to Professor Slughorn, and then I'll be off to our dormitories." Lily turned away, and James spoke up before she left._

" _I'll go with you," He offered._

" _Thank you, I'd like that."_

 _The scene changed and then there was Lily Evans and James Potter, holding hands at their graduation. There was Lily and James at their wedding. And Lily and James Potter when Lily was pregnant. And finally, Lily and James Potter on the day of their death._

 _There was a bright flash of green light, and a scream._

Harry woke up with a start. He was sweating and tears streaked his face. Dumbledore's pensieve plan had slowly stopped working, and now, he felt the pressure of everything. He didn't want this. He couldn't do it. Harry reached for his wand and lit the room, summoning a scrap of parchment and a quill.

Professor Dumbledore,

I need to meet with you as soon as possible. I'm afraid that my memories are becoming too strong now, the pensieve isn't relieving my burdens anymore. Please help me keep myself from doing something stupid.

Harry

He whistled softly, loud enough for Gemini to hear from his perch on the roof near his window, but quiet enough that he wouldn't be heard by anyone else. Except maybe Remus, if he was awake. Gemini fluttered in and landed softly beside him on the bed. Harry tied the note to his leg and sent him off.

 **A Visit From the Headmaster**

A few days later, Harry got restless, worried that Professor Dumbledore had deemed his cause unimportant. James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all noticed it, but they said nothing. James knew that Harry was still having nightmares. The only difference between now and first year was that now he could put up silencing charms without being questioned. Remus probably suspected that he still had nightmares from time to time, but if he did, he kept to himself about it.

The nightmares changed, and most of them now included Albus Dumbledore's rejection. In Harry's dreams, Dumbledore would tell Harry that he wasn't skilled enough to take on the tasks that were needed. In the more intense ones, Albus Dumbledore would reveal himself as a Death Eater, or he would turn into Lord Voldemort.

"Harry, Earth to Harry, is anyone home?" Remus said. Harry jumped out of his trance. He looked at Remus, who was standing at his doorway. Harry had woken up, but he hadn't gotten out of bed yet. He was sitting up, leaning against his headboard, staring into space.

"Yeah, sorry, Mate. I was just thinking." Harry put his glasses on as Remus crossed the room and sat on his bed.

"Is everything alright?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. It's complicated. I mean, all of my memories, they're…"

"They're becoming a burden again. It's normal. The pensieve is a temporary fix. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Have you talked to Professor Dumbledore?" Remus watched Harry swallow, listened as his heart sped up, and then easily identified the lie.

"Yeah, and he told me not to worry about it. He said that sometimes the pensieve memories can become a huge burden, and that they'll eventually turn back into memories that have no affect," Harry said. Remus would have actually thought it to be true if he wasn't so used to the pattern of Harry's heartbeat versus his breathing on the occasions that he lies.

"Did you actually talk to him?" Remus asked.

Harry sighed, and shook his head. "I mean, I sent a note, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet."

"It takes time. Professor Dumbledore is a busy man. He'll get around to responding to you soon enough." Remus smiled at Harry, willing him to relax. "Just be patient."

"Alright. Thanks, Mate." Harry stood up and sniffed the air. His heightened animagus senses alerted him to the smell of cooking bacon and maple syrup.

"Yeah, I was coming to tell you that breakfast is almost ready. Should be done now." Remus got up and walked out of the room. As soon as he left, James walked in.

"Hey Jamie, get a good night's rest?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I don't think you did." James walked over to Harry and sprawled himself across the end of the bed.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.

"Oh come off it, Harry. We've been brothers for how long now? I can tell when something's off with you."

"There's nothing wrong with-"

"Stop, Harry. I don't want to hear you lie to me one more time. Stop trying to spare my feelings. We're brothers. We've gone through everything together. As badly as I would LOVE to know more about what's bothering you, I won't keep pushing it. But I at least expect you not to lie about how you're feeling just because you're too afraid to tell me something that I may or may not need to know." James had sat up and was staring at Harry now.

"James, I'm sorry. I didn't think that-"

"No, Harry, you didn't think. You didn't think that by trying to spare my feelings, you were making me feel worse. You didn't think that by pretending that everything was fine, you were making everything _not_ fine. I don't want to hide it anymore, and I don't want you to hide it anymore. We're supposed to be able to tell each other anything and everything."

"Okay. From now on, I won't spare you. I'll tell you how I feel. But, I hope you know that I still can't tell you what I know you truly want to know," Harry said.

"And for now, I can live with that. So long as we don't hide from each other anymore." James stood up and walked over to Harry's wardrobe. He pulled out a dark blue button-up shirt and some black pants. "We're wearing this." And then he left Harry to go change.

Harry got up and pulled off his night clothes, switching them out with the day clothes that James had picked. They hadn't picked each other's outfit in almost two years, but he didn't argue because he knew James was already upset with him.

After they all had gotten ready, the marauders, excluding Peter who had gone home, all made their way to the dining room. They sat in their respective seats and Euphemia and Fleamont Potter came in moments later, sitting down as well. They all grabbed different fruits, rolls, pancakes, waffles, bacon, and more. Bucky and Becky never managed to disappoint them.

As they were eating, they all heard a bell go off in another room. There was a short cough and the sound of someone dusting themselves off. They heard the floo fire die down. Somebody came to visit them.

"Boys, stay here, we're going to go see who it is." Euphemia and Fleamont stood up and left the room. They all sat deadly silent, listening to what was happening in the other room.

The muffled voices weren't clear enough for them to determine who the visitor was, and so the only thing they could do was wait for their parents to return. James made eye contact with Remus, who had the best hearing out of all of them, but Remus shook his head.

About five long minutes later, Fleamont Potter walked in, followed by Euphemia Potter, who was then followed by their unexpected guest.

Albus Dumbledore smiled down at the four teenaged boys and took an empty seat. The boys all stared in shock. What was Albus Dumbledore doing in Potter Manor?

"I'm sorry to have interrupted what looks like a most wonderful breakfast. I hope I didn't ruin it for you all," the headmaster said.

"Not at all, Professor. Please help yourself to some food," Fleamont said. The elder man smiled with a twinkle in his eye and he took a roll from one of the dishes and bit into it.

"I came to see if I could speak with you and your son, Harry, Mr and Mrs Potter," The professor had finished his roll and was now fishing crumbs out of his long beard. Harry looked over at Remus, who made eye contact with him almost immediately. James looked confused, and looked up over at Harry, who shrugged.

"Oh, of course. Does it have to be now?" Fleamont said.

"Oh no, don't let me rush your breakfast. I can wait," the headmaster said. He picked up some raspberries and ate them quietly. Harry squirmed nervously under the stare of his brother.

They continued to eat, and when Harry finished his food, he picked up his empty plate, as well as his empty glass and used silverware, and he made his way into the kitchen. He was greeted by Bucky and Becky the twin house elves, who insisted on taking his dishes, but he refused.

He cleaned the dishes himself, without the use of magic. And when he was finished putting them away, he was made suddenly aware of Albus Dumbledore's presence. Harry started, not expecting the headmaster to have been standing there.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you, I just wanted to come and tell you that I got your note. I think we should discuss it with your parents, which is why I have made this house call." Albus Dumbledore picked up a candy from a small bowl on the counter and stuck it into his mouth.

"It's fine, Professor," Harry said.

"Well your parents are ready to speak with me, so long as you are. I think they've sent your brother and your friends out to play quidditch." The professor turned and left the way he came, entering the dining room once again. Harry sighed and followed.

"Right, well, I received a note from Harry here, telling me that his memories were once again becoming a burden for him. Now, as far as you two know, Harry is from the future, and I gave him a box and a pensieve to store away his memories. I did so in hopes that it would allow them to become less of a burden on him, and he might be able to live his new life stress-free, or as stress-free as he can," the professor took the scene in front of him in with a pause, to make sure that Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were following.

"But, now they are growing more burdensome for me, and I can't forget about them for even a second." Harry took a seat at the table.

"So how do we fix it? Surely we can't obliviate him or he'll forget everything that has happened up to this point, and he won't have a chance at remembering the things he needs to when he gets back to his own timeline," Fleamont said.

"No, of course we can't obliviate him," the professor said. "I had something a bit different in mind. There's something else, similar to obliviating, but the difference being that when you obliviate someone, their memories are gone permanently, with no hopes of getting them back. However, in this case, it's like a pensieve, you simply tuck the memories away, forgetting them until it is necessary to remember again."

"We already tried the pensieve, Professor Dumbledore," Harry said. "It didn't work."

"Ah, no Harry, it didn't. This is different. See, it's very similar to the pensieve, but instead, you're not taking the ghost of your memories out, you're taking the memories themselves away. You can put them into the vials just like before, and then, when it's time for you to return, you can return them into your conscious mind."

"I think this is worth a try," Euphemia said. Harry sighed and nodded his agreement.

"Alright then. Harry, if you would please go retrieve your pensieve and the memory box," the headmaster said. "We will start immediately."

Harry ran up to his bedroom and grabbed the box and pensieve. He took a long look at the objects in his hand and frowned. What would it be like to forget everything that happened before he came to this timeline? He tucked it into his shirt and went back to the dining room. When he entered, only Albus Dumbledore was present.

They got started right away. Harry pushed each memory back into his head, and then followed Dumbledore's instructions to pull the entire memory back out. He put them back into the corresponding vials and began to get confused as more and more pieces of his memory went missing. When they were finished, Harry had been transformed from Harry Potter, the boy who lived and went back into time, best friends with Ron and Hermione, to Harry Potter, the boy who was James Potter's twin and top of his class, best friends with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

Harry followed Dumbledore's instructions and placed the box back into a safe place. No longer aware of what was inside, or why he should not open it. But the stern look on the headmaster's face told him that grave consequences would come if he did open the box.


	15. Chapter 15

I need to meet with you as soon as possible. I'm afraid that my memories are becoming too strong now, the pensieve isn't relieving my burdens anymore. Please help me keep myself from doing something stupid.

Harry

He whistled softly, loud enough for Gemini to hear from his perch on the roof near his window, but quiet enough that he wouldn't be heard by anyone else. Except maybe Remus, if he was awake. Gemini fluttered in and landed softly beside him on the bed. Harry tied the note to his leg and sent him off.

 **A Visit From the Headmaster**

A few days later, Harry got restless, worried that Professor Dumbledore had deemed his cause unimportant. James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all noticed it, but they said nothing. James knew that Harry was still having nightmares. The only difference between now and first year was that now he could put up silencing charms without being questioned. Remus probably suspected that he still had nightmares from time to time, but if he did, he kept to himself about it.

The nightmares changed, and most of them now included Albus Dumbledore's rejection. In Harry's dreams, Dumbledore would tell Harry that he wasn't skilled enough to take on the tasks that were needed. In the more intense ones, Albus Dumbledore would reveal himself as a Death Eater, or he would turn into Lord Voldemort.

"Harry, Earth to Harry, is anyone home?" Remus said. Harry jumped out of his trance. He looked at Remus, who was standing at his doorway. Harry had woken up, but he hadn't gotten out of bed yet. He was sitting up, leaning against his headboard, staring into space.

"Yeah, sorry, Mate. I was just thinking." Harry put his glasses on as Remus crossed the room and sat on his bed.

"Is everything alright?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. It's complicated. I mean, all of my memories, they're…"

"They're becoming a burden again. It's normal. The pensieve is a temporary fix. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Have you talked to Professor Dumbledore?" Remus watched Harry swallow, listened as his heart sped up, and then easily identified the lie.

"Yeah, and he told me not to worry about it. He said that sometimes the pensieve memories can become a huge burden, and that they'll eventually turn back into memories that have no affect," Harry said. Remus would have actually thought it to be true if he wasn't so used to the pattern of Harry's heartbeat versus his breathing on the occasions that he lies.

"Did you actually talk to him?" Remus asked.

Harry sighed, and shook his head. "I mean, I sent a note, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet."

"It takes time. Professor Dumbledore is a busy man. He'll get around to responding to you soon enough." Remus smiled at Harry, willing him to relax. "Just be patient."

"Alright. Thanks, Mate." Harry stood up and sniffed the air. His heightened animagus senses alerted him to the smell of cooking bacon and maple syrup.

"Yeah, I was coming to tell you that breakfast is almost ready. Should be done now." Remus got up and walked out of the room. As soon as he left, James walked in.

"Hey Jamie, get a good night's rest?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I don't think you did." James walked over to Harry and sprawled himself across the end of the bed.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.

"Oh come off it, Harry. We've been brothers for how long now? I can tell when something's off with you."

"There's nothing wrong with-"

"Stop, Harry. I don't want to hear you lie to me one more time. Stop trying to spare my feelings. We're brothers. We've gone through everything together. As badly as I would LOVE to know more about what's bothering you, I won't keep pushing it. But I at least expect you not to lie about how you're feeling just because you're too afraid to tell me something that I may or may not need to know." James had sat up and was staring at Harry now.

"James, I'm sorry. I didn't think that-"

"No, Harry, you didn't think. You didn't think that by trying to spare my feelings, you were making me feel worse. You didn't think that by pretending that everything was fine, you were making everything _not_ fine. I don't want to hide it anymore, and I don't want you to hide it anymore. We're supposed to be able to tell each other anything and everything."

"Okay. From now on, I won't spare you. I'll tell you how I feel. But, I hope you know that I still can't tell you what I know you truly want to know," Harry said.

"And for now, I can live with that. So long as we don't hide from each other anymore." James stood up and walked over to Harry's wardrobe. He pulled out a dark blue button-up shirt and some black pants. "We're wearing this." And then he left Harry to go change.

Harry got up and pulled off his night clothes, switching them out with the day clothes that James had picked. They hadn't picked each other's outfit in almost two years, but he didn't argue because he knew James was already upset with him.

After they all had gotten ready, the marauders, excluding Peter who had gone home, all made their way to the dining room. They sat in their respective seats and Euphemia and Fleamont Potter came in moments later, sitting down as well. They all grabbed different fruits, rolls, pancakes, waffles, bacon, and more. Bucky and Becky never managed to disappoint them.

As they were eating, they all heard a bell go off in another room. There was a short cough and the sound of someone dusting themselves off. They heard the floo fire die down. Somebody came to visit them.

"Boys, stay here, we're going to go see who it is." Euphemia and Fleamont stood up and left the room. They all sat deadly silent, listening to what was happening in the other room.

The muffled voices weren't clear enough for them to determine who the visitor was, and so the only thing they could do was wait for their parents to return. James made eye contact with Remus, who had the best hearing out of all of them, but Remus shook his head.

About five long minutes later, Fleamont Potter walked in, followed by Euphemia Potter, who was then followed by their unexpected guest.

Albus Dumbledore smiled down at the four teenaged boys and took an empty seat. The boys all stared in shock. What was Albus Dumbledore doing in Potter Manor?

"I'm sorry to have interrupted what looks like a most wonderful breakfast. I hope I didn't ruin it for you all," the headmaster said.

"Not at all, Professor. Please help yourself to some food," Fleamont said. The elder man smiled with a twinkle in his eye and he took a roll from one of the dishes and bit into it.

"I came to see if I could speak with you and your son, Harry, Mr and Mrs Potter," The professor had finished his roll and was now fishing crumbs out of his long beard. Harry looked over at Remus, who made eye contact with him almost immediately. James looked confused, and looked up over at Harry, who shrugged.

"Oh, of course. Does it have to be now?" Fleamont said.

"Oh no, don't let me rush your breakfast. I can wait," the headmaster said. He picked up some raspberries and ate them quietly. Harry squirmed nervously under the stare of his brother.

They continued to eat, and when Harry finished his food, he picked up his empty plate, as well as his empty glass and used silverware, and he made his way into the kitchen. He was greeted by Bucky and Becky the twin house elves, who insisted on taking his dishes, but he refused.

He cleaned the dishes himself, without the use of magic. And when he was finished putting them away, he was made suddenly aware of Albus Dumbledore's presence. Harry started, not expecting the headmaster to have been standing there.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you, I just wanted to come and tell you that I got your note. I think we should discuss it with your parents, which is why I have made this house call." Albus Dumbledore picked up a candy from a small bowl on the counter and stuck it into his mouth.

"It's fine, Professor," Harry said.

"Well your parents are ready to speak with me, so long as you are. I think they've sent your brother and your friends out to play quidditch." The professor turned and left the way he came, entering the dining room once again. Harry sighed and followed.

"Right, well, I received a note from Harry here, telling me that his memories were once again becoming a burden for him. Now, as far as you two know, Harry is from the future, and I gave him a box and a pensieve to store away his memories. I did so in hopes that it would allow them to become less of a burden on him, and he might be able to live his new life stress-free, or as stress-free as he can," the professor took the scene in front of him in with a pause, to make sure that Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were following.

"But, now they are growing more burdensome for me, and I can't forget about them for even a second." Harry took a seat at the table.

"So how do we fix it? Surely we can't obliviate him or he'll forget everything that has happened up to this point, and he won't have a chance at remembering the things he needs to when he gets back to his own timeline," Fleamont said.

"No, of course we can't obliviate him," the professor said. "I had something a bit different in mind. There's something else, similar to obliviating, but the difference being that when you obliviate someone, their memories are gone permanently, with no hopes of getting them back. However, in this case, it's like a pensieve, you simply tuck the memories away, forgetting them until it is necessary to remember again."

"We already tried the pensieve, Professor Dumbledore," Harry said. "It didn't work."

"Ah, no Harry, it didn't. This is different. See, it's very similar to the pensieve, but instead, you're not taking the ghost of your memories out, you're taking the memories themselves away. You can put them into the vials just like before, and then, when it's time for you to return, you can return them into your conscious mind."

"I think this is worth a try," Euphemia said. Harry sighed and nodded his agreement.

"Alright then. Harry, if you would please go retrieve your pensieve and the memory box," the headmaster said. "We will start immediately."

Harry ran up to his bedroom and grabbed the box and pensieve. He took a long look at the objects in his hand and frowned. What would it be like to forget everything that happened before he came to this timeline? He tucked it into his shirt and went back to the dining room. When he entered, only Albus Dumbledore was present.

They got started right away. Harry pushed each memory back into his head, and then followed Dumbledore's instructions to pull the entire memory back out. He put them back into the corresponding vials and began to get confused as more and more pieces of his memory went missing. When they were finished, Harry had been transformed from Harry Potter, the boy who lived and went back into time, best friends with Ron and Hermione, to Harry Potter, the boy who was James Potter's twin and top of his class, best friends with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

Harry followed Dumbledore's instructions and placed the box back into a safe place. No longer aware of what was inside, or why he should not open it. But the stern look on the headmaster's face told him that grave consequences would come if he did open the box.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

* * *

 **A Year Later**

"Voldemort is rising into power slowly, and Death Eaters are at large, safety is a huge concern now for everybody, so, if you're not of age, you will not be allowed to join the Order," Albus Dumbledore stood at the front of the private meeting room in the Hog's Head. Harry, James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all sat together.

Plans, such as scouting, were discussed as a group, and they were assigned in pairs for their missions. Harry and Remus were paired. James and Sirius were paired. Lily was paired with Marlene McKinnon, whose entire family had joined the Order of the Phoenix.

"Harry and Remus, you will be scouting around Diagon Alley tonight. James and Sirius, you two will take the side where Knockturn Alley is located. At 2 am, Peter and Benjy will take Harry and Remus' place, while Fabian and Gideon will take James and Sirius place," Dumbledore said, making eye contact with each of them. They nodded in agreement. He continued giving people jobs and responsibilities and then the meeting disbanded.

"Harry, are you going back to the flat now?" James approached his brother. Lily followed closely behind, her hand in James'. They were now married, but they didn't have an extravagant wedding, with the war going on. Lily, James, and Harry all shared a flat together. Harry didn't see the point in getting his own if he would be disappearing soon anyways.

"Yeah, figured I should at least take a nap if I'm going to have to be awake and alert tonight," Harry replied. James nodded in agreement.

"Lily and I are going to the Leaky Cauldron first, but we'll be back at the flat soon." Harry nodded at his brother.

"Hey Harry," Lily said quickly, before Harry could disapparate. Harry turned his head to her, curious. "Remember to be safe, okay? Not that you can't handle yourself, but, please?"

"Of course," Harry assured her with a smile. Lily didn't know that Harry's time here would soon come to an end, and he didn't want to worry her. He looked over at James, and they gave each other a firm nod before heading their separate ways.

 **While Scouting**

Harry and Remus were disillusioned and walking very slowly and quietly up and down Diagon Alley. Very little movement could be detected from them or anyone else that might be lurking in the dark. They paused as a rat scurried across the doorway of one of the darkened shops. Harry narrowed his eyes and took a small whiff. He suppressed the biting urge to go after it, and instead tapped Remus' hand. Remus tapped back in understanding. They slowly followed the direction that the rat went in.

A wave of nausea passed over Harry, but it left as quickly as it came and he ignored it. The smell of the rat led them toward the entry to Knockturn Alley, which was where James and Sirius were. They stayed in Diagon Alley, ready to offer help if anything happened. But they were told before that unless help was needed, they must stay in their own designated areas.

After a few minutes, there was a spark of light and someone was heard shouting _stupefy_. Harry and Remus took that as their cue to join them. When they arrived at the scene, a Death Eater was on the ground and four more were fighting against James and Sirius. Harry and Remus immediately joined in the fight, removing their disillusionment charms. From what they could tell, they were up against Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, and one that was unrecognizable.

"Glad you could join us, Harry Potter. I'll be glad when you're dead," Lucius sneered. Harry dodged a flash of green light and sent a red one right back, missing the blonde by mere centimetres.

"Well then you'll be disappointed for a very long time," Harry replied, sending another spell his way.

"And you know that how? Are you a seer?" Malfoy retorted.

"I may as well be," Harry said. They dueled back and forth, dodging and sending curses and spells, and then Harry smirked. "Your son is going to be a right pain in the arse, I'll tell you that for sure."

There was a split second when Lucius froze with shock, because of course, Narcissa Malfoy was pregnant, but the only other person who knew was the dark lord himself. Harry took that split second to his advantage and successfully stunned Lucius Malfoy. As soon as he turned to join the others in their fight, he collapsed. Everything went black.

 **In The Potter Flat**

"Harry?" James' voice could be heard as if through a closed door, far away. Harry opened his eyes and everything was a blur. His head ached badly. Something cold was set on his face, and soon he was able to see. His glasses. James was standing over him, trying to talk to him. "Harry are you okay?" His voice didn't get any clearer.

"I can't hear you well," Harry replied. It was as if everything was underwater. "Is Lily pregnant yet? She's got to be by now, right?"

"Oh Godric," James said.

"How did Harry know?" Lily's voice was heard from a further distance and Harry mentally smacked himself.

"Tell her."

"Lily, Harry isn't my twin," James said.

"What? And you never told us this?" Sirius was in the room as well. The truth had to come out at some point.

Harry tried to sit up, but he was pushed back down by firm hands. He looked up into Albus Dumbledore's blue eyes.

"Shouldn't I explain it?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry. You need to rest. I'll explain," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Harry wasn't born in this timeline. He was in possession of a faulty time-turner, and got sent back to this time. Really, he's James and Lily's son."

"Our son. So it's a boy. He got sent back to this time at age eleven?" Lily asked in bewilderment.

"No, when he arrived here, I gave him a de-aging potion so he wouldn't be too aged when he arrived back in his own time. Right now, it seems that since Lily is now pregnant with Harry, this Harry is disappearing," Dumbledore said calmly. "His hearing is dying, and soon, so will his other abilities. He will deteriorate until he suddenly returns to his own time."

Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily were all staring at Harry with disbelieving eyes. Albus sighed.

"Harry needs to be on bed rest. No more missions."

Harry protested strongly, but the professor just held his hand up and turned to leave. Soon, Albus Dumbledore would be interviewing Sybil Trelawney for a divination position at Hogwarts. Soon, the Potters would be going into hiding. Soon, Harry would disappear. Soon, James would go to Harry's time and live on.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **The Beginning of October**

"James, may I speak with you?" Albus Dumbledore gestured to the guest room and James followed him in. The elder wizard closed the door and put up silencing charms before turning to the young adult.

"James, I know that this is going to be very hard for you to hear, but upon a final request from Harry, I have to talk to you about it." Dumbledore studied the way James Potter's face hardened and his eyes grew wide in hope.

"What is it?"

"You and Lily aren't going to survive this war. Harry asked that I find a way to save you both, a way that won't change the timeline. I tried my very best to plan it all out. Unfortunately, I can't save Lily, otherwise Harry won't survive. But I figured out how I could send you to the future so that you neither die nor change the timeline," James's face got red and his eyes watered as he tried to hold back the tears.

"You think that I'm going to just let my wife die? Would I be so selfish as to save myself and not her?"

"Please, Mr. Potter. Listen. I don't expect you to leave your wife. I understand your situation. I only ask that you consider it. Harry is back in his own time right now dealing with the loss of both of his parents and now his brother for a second time. You will have just lost Lily, but if you go along with Harry's request, you will both have each other and you will both be able to help each other through it," the old professor cleared his throat and then continued. "At least let me give you the necessary tools to do it if you so choose."

"Fine," James relented. "But I can assure you, I won't do it. I will stay by my wife and fight until the very end."

The headmaster nodded with a smile and pulled out a chain. It was a time-turner. James stared at the item.

"Is that-" his words caught in his throat.

"This, James Charlus Potter, is the very time-turner that brought your son to you. I've come up with a way for you to jump to the future using this." Albus put the time-turner around James' neck. "It's dormant, so it won't surprise you by taking you anywhere. The reason for this is because this is before its time. When the time comes, all you have to do is point your wand at it and say 'Novocto Menseptim'."

"But I can't just leave my wife to die. I can't let her die," James argued.

"Your wife's role is an extremely important one. See, her death is the reason Harry lived. She sacrificed herself for Harry, and a love like that is strong. It's the only thing that could save Harry from getting killed. And her death is already written in history. Yours… Your death is something nobody was sure about, according to Harry," Dumbledore said. "If you choose to do this, remember that you did nothing wrong. Also, there's no way of knowing exactly when you'll arrive in the future. It's going to be disorienting to see people in a time that you know nothing about. Stay hidden until you're sure that Harry has already come back. Harry can help you after that."

"I'll have to talk to Lily about this," James said. He touched the dormant time-turner hanging around his neck. He missed Harry so much.

"I do hope you're careful about it, Mr. Potter."

 **A week before the death of Lily Potter**

"Hey, Lily?" James called quietly from the dining room area. Within a few seconds Lily entered the room and sat beside him at the table. Harry had already been laid to rest in his crib.

"James, what's the matter? You've been sitting here since dinner." She ran her hand along his comfortingly.

"I've just been thinking. What if one of us doesn't survive this war?" He asked. "Like, what if you died or I died, but both of us didn't die?"

"If you were to die, I'd be extremely heartbroken, but I'd have to continue on with life. We have a son now, we can't let heartbreak take our time away from Harry," she replied.

"If you died, I wouldn't know what to do with myself," he said.

"If I die, and that's if, then you will take great care of Harry for me."

"But Lily, I-"

"No James, no buts. If one of us dies, the other has to go on to keep Harry safe." Lily left the room with no more to say. James was both awestruck and confounded.

 **The Night Of The Potters' Downfall**

James paced nervously with his wand in his hand and the time-turner around his neck. Lily was upstairs with Harry in the nursery. Tonight would be the night that James would make the biggest choice he ever made and he still wasn't sure he was going to make the right one.

Soon, he would be greeted by Voldemort and his life would change forever. But he had to do this for Lily and Harry. He had to.

A loud bang and a disturbing cackle greeted him in the entrance of the home. James lifted his wand toward the Dark Lord and just as Voldemort moved to lift his own, James quickly redirected the wand to himself, pointing it at the time turner and closing his eyes in preparation. " _Novocto Menseptim,"_ he said. "Please be safe Lily," he whispered as he felt himself disappearing.


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Some of the Chapters are beginning to get shorter as the story comes closer to an end, but fear not, there will be a sequel!**_

 **Chapter 18: The beginning of the end**

James woke up to the blinding sunlight. Finding himself in a grassy clearing that he knew all too well from the nights on the full moon when the marauders would roam the forbidden forest. The first thing he did when he stood was vomit. The trip wasn't a smooth one. He wondered how Harry had been after his trip.

Taking no time to dwell on what he had just done, James morphed into his animagus form and ran towards Hogsmeade. The trees in the forest were his only cover, not that he needed to take cover as a stag. He walked along the line of trees, looking out at the little town. A few feet away he spied a fresh looking newspaper rolled up and tied with a blue ribbon. He cantered over to it and saw the date on the top. July twenty-fourth, nineteen ninety eight. Harry will be eighteen in a week. He had to stay hidden until Harry was eighteen. Then he would know for sure he could show himself. But where would he go? Harry knew he was an animagus even before he went back in time. He needed to stay completely hidden, animagus and all. He saw a familiar looking man standing at the far side of the line of buildings, staring at him. He darted into the trees and moved closer to get a better look, staying hidden.

The man was young, but he looked tired, as if he had seen too much in his lifetime. He had bleach blonde hair, pale skin, and black robes. He was a Malfoy. James immediately got defensive, wanting to tear him apart, but Malfoy turned his head toward him and they made eye contact. It wasn't Lucius. They had similar features, but it wasn't him. He turned toward the thick of the trees and bolted away.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Harry's Return

When Harry reappeared inside of the Leaky Cauldron, it was like being born again. He could see, hear, and move again. He whipped his wand out and faced the Death Eaters without fear. The black dog quickly shifted into none other than Sirius Black, who joined Harry in the fight. A dozen Death Eaters began to dwindle in numbers and became half a dozen, two, one, and then they were all stunned on the floor of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry began tending to Ron's wounds while Sirius focused on Hermione's. As soon as they were well enough, Hermione and Ron both stood up and stared in shock between Harry and Sirius. Hermione was the first to speak.

"Harry, you've aged a few years and your eyes are no longer green," she said studying him.

"How the hell are you not dead?" Ron asked Sirius.

"I'd like to know that as well, actually." Harry turned to his godfather, directing the attention away from himself. Sirius gave him an understanding smile, nodded, and then collected his thoughts.

"Bellatrix didn't kill me. She stunned me, and I fell into the veil. I wasn't dead, but when I came to, I wasn't necessarily alive either. Souls and voices surrounded me. My first thought was that I needed to get out of there, but it was hard to focus well enough to get to the opening of the veil." He shuddered a little bit and they listened to him carefully.

During Sirius' pause, Harry looked down at the Death Eaters and made sure none of them stirred.

"By the time I had gotten out, weeks had passed and everyone believed I was dead. I knew I had to stay hidden until the war was over." He gestured to the stunned bodies on the floor. "You need to notify the ministry."

Without saying anything, Harry summoned his patronus and sent it on its way. Hermione stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Okay so, now your turn, Harry. What happened to you?"

Harry shook his head. "After we get this taken care of, I'll call an order meeting and tell everyone all at once. It'll be easier for me if I don't have to repeat myself," he said. Hermione seemed like she could tell how much he'd changed both physically and emotionally. He had years added to him.

Just before Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived, Sirius changed back into his animagus form. When aurors took away the Death Eaters, Kingsley stayed behind and took a good look at both Harry and the animagus dog.

"You all have some explaining to do. I suppose we need to call an Order meeting, yes?" they all agreed and arrangements were made for everyone to meet at the Burrow.

When they arrived at the Burrow, everyone gathered around outside, and Kingsley put up wards to block outsiders from seeing what was going on. Everyone involved with the Order of the Phoenix was there. There was Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Molly, Fred, George, Percy, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, Arthur, and more. Padfoot moved to the front with Harry and they both faced the group. Some of them recognized the dog and were shocked, but others who didn't know why there was a dog there just looked confused. Then Padfoot shifted into Sirius Black and there was confusion and anger among most of them.

"Let's start with Sirius' story," Harry said quickly, trying to avoid anybody making outbursts. "He never betrayed my parents. The secret keeper for my parents' fidelius charm was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black. We all know what happened to Pettigrew," Harry paused and looked at Sirius. "He can tell the rest of his story."

"When I escaped Azkaban, I was in hiding. Then came the time when we fought Death Eaters at the ministry," he coughed and then continued with his story. "Bellatrix Lestrange stunned me right in front of the veil, and I fell through. I didn't die, but I had to find my way back to the other side, which was difficult. When I came back, I had already been pronounced dead. So I hid until the war was over."

"My story is much more complicated. Some of you," Harry paused to look directly at McGonagall. "May already know it. Earlier today, I had a time Turner around my neck. I know they were all meant to be destroyed and they're illegal now, but don't ask me where it is because I don't know. It didn't come back with me."

"You had a time turner and you didn't tell me?" Ron asked, his cheeks pink with anger.

"I had just gotten it today. Anyway, when Ron and I went to Diagon Alley, we were attacked by stray Death Eaters and the time Turner was hit. It sent me back to my father's time. I took a de-aging potion and lived as my father's twin. I changed my eye color to match his, and I went through Hogwarts all over again until my original birthday. That is why I look a few years older now. My father is my brother as well, Sirius is not just my god father anymore. I lost my parents a second time, but this time they were my brother and sister-in-law." There was a sadness in his eyes and Molly Weasley moved forward to give him a hug.

"Harry, it'll be alright. You've still got family here with you. I know it's difficult."

"Thank you. If you all don't mind, I'm going to go spend some time to myself for a bit. I need to clear my head," he said. The meeting was ended after Kingsley agreed to make the announcement that Sirius was alive and not guilty of anything. Harry turned to face the wood line in the far distance and he began running. As he ran, he shifted into the Alaskan malamute that he became so familiar with over the years.

"Did Harry just-" Ron was astounded.

"Yes, yes he did. He forgot to mention that he learned a lot of new tricks while in Hogwarts for the second time." Sirius shifted and followed after him.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The trials

"Harry, are you ready?" Hermione asked. They were in the kitchen of the Burrow and they were both dressed decently. The trials were private. Only those that were of the highest importance, as well as those that were asked to testify, were allowed to watch them. All of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, were going. Harry and Hermione were testifying.

"Yes, I believe so." Harry examined himself in the mirror once more. He had taken a little bit of another De-aging potion to look more like his actually supposed age. His eyes were green again and he looked normal. There was nearly thirty years behind his skill and his emotion, but he looked normal once again.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparated to the ministry of magic entrance and went their separate ways to get in. They found each other inside of the ministry lobby and headed to the trial rooms.

"Do you know whose trial is first?" Ron asked.

"It's going to be Pansy Parkinson, I believe. Then Goyle, Malfoy, and whoever else." Hermione said, fumbling with her wand.

Hermione was right. Pansy Parkinson sat in the chair in the center of the room. There were magical bindings around her wrists, and she looked almost lifeless.

"Would Miss Hermione Granger please take the stand?" Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke loudly so that everyone could hear. Hermione stood and moved over to the stand. "Miss Granger, can you identify the witch in front of you?"

"Yes, Pansy Parkinson. She was in my year, a Slytherin."

"And was she actively involved in Death Eater activities?" He asked.

"Not that I am aware of, Sir."

"But she did show a hatred and discrimination towards muggle-born witches and wizards, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct," she replied.

"Can you give an example?"

"She used foul language toward Muggle-borns such as 'mudblood'. She would treat us poorly and disrespectfully, but anytime she came in contact with a pureblood she'd be totally fine with them."

Pansy Parkinson didn't look up throughout the duration of her trial. She spoke when she was spoken to, but her voice was quiet. Her sentence wasn't bad at all. She was only required to wear a cuff on her wrist that would monitor her magic as well as anything she said that might be out of line. And she only had to wear it for a month. She was also required to return to Hogwarts to retake her final year.

Goyle was sentenced to wear the cuff for a year. He had to return to Hogwarts for an eighth year and he was expected to get good marks or he would be further punished.

Then it was Draco's turn.

"Would Mister Harry Potter please take the stand?"

Harry made his way to the stand and took a seat.

"Can you identify this wizard, Mister Potter?"

"Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy and a Slytherin at Hogwarts."

Draco flinched at the mention of his father. He was thinner and paler, but he still looked alive for the most part.

"Did Mister Malfoy participate in any Death Eater activities?"

"I'm not aware of exactly what activities he was actively involved in, but I know that he has the dark mark on his arm."

"Is it true that he gave you problems during your time at Hogwarts?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes, we had a bit of a rivalry going on."

"Do you believe it was because of which side you were both on during the war?"

"No, I don't. The rivalry that we had started before the war did. Before I even knew much about the history of the war."

"Do you recall any encounters with Mister Malfoy during the battle of Hogwarts?"

"Yes. In the end he fought for the right side. I don't believe he is a Death Eater, Sir."

There were more questions and then Hermione was called to the stand. She stood up and moved to take the stand.

"Miss Granger, you received a lot of discrimination from Mister Malfoy, correct?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you believe he's changed since you first encountered it?"

"I believe it was never really a choice for him." Hermione didn't look at Draco. But Draco stared right at her. He looked dumbfounded by her statement. Was she trying to get him out of trouble?

"Draco Malfoy will be required to return to Hogwarts for his eighth year. He will have a restriction on magic, where no magic will be performed outside of Hogwarts grounds. He will have a magical cuff monitoring his use of magic for the entirety of the school year and he will receive good marks in every class, otherwise he will be further punished by the ministry of magic."

There was a lot of chatter among the audience. Some of them didn't believe that Draco deserved anything less than imprisonment in Azkaban. Some of them were slightly uncomfortable with the amount of freedom he was given.

After the trials, Kingsley Shacklebolt was scheduled to make an announcement about Sirius Black, redeeming him and allowing him to come out of hiding. It was to be a public event, and Harry Potter and Sirius Black (in animagus form at first) would accompany him on the platform which he would be speaking on. It would be there that Sirius and Harry would also become registered animagi.

Harry met Padfoot outside of the ministry and they made their way to the platform where Kingsley was being bombarded with questions. Everything became silent when Harry and Sirius stepped on.

There were whispers among the crowd about the dog. "Why is there a dog up there?" Some were saying. "It looks like a grim," others said.

The minister of magic aimed his wand at his throat and his voice was heard among the entire crowd. "Witches and wizards, throughout the duration of both wars, there have been questions about who is innocent, who is not, and what happens next. One of the biggest mistakes was the belief that Sirius Black betrayed the Potter family," he said. There were whispers and shouts among witches and wizards. Some were confused and others were outraged. The only ones who stayed quiet were the few who already knew.

"James and Lily Potter originally planned to make Black the secret keeper for their fidelius charm, but James thought it would be too obvious. At the last minute, they decided to make Peter Pettigrew their secret keeper. And it was Peter Pettigrew that turned to Voldemort and betrayed the Potter family."

There was complete silence among the audience now.

"And Sirius Black is not dead. He is here right now, ready to become a registered animagus," the minister finished his speech and removed the spell from his voice. He turned to Harry and whispered in his ear. "You're not getting registered today. I'll explain why later." Sirius transformed into his human form and there were a few gasps. A secretary brought forward the book of registered Animagi and had Sirius sign his name with a silver quill. Then it was all over. Sirius could be seen in public and people could go on to live their lives normally.

When they finished on the platform, Harry made his way to Kingsley Shacklebolt, and they stepped off into a more private alley to speak. Kingsley regarded Harry with the greatest respect.

"Mister Potter, there are still a few death eaters out and about, and we think that you might be able to help, so long as they are unaware that you are an animagus. You can be stealthy, much stealthier now than you've been."

"But Kingsley, I'd be breaking the law if I didn't get registered."

"I understand your concern, but I've already discussed it with ministry representatives. They've agreed to let it go for the time being."

"Are you sure about this, mister Shacklebolt?"

"Yes, Harry, I am."


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Alright everybody. This is the FINAL Chapter of Non Revertens. I know that there are still questions that have gone unanswered... Not to worry though! I am currently working on a sequel called Per Aspera Ad Astra. There, the story will fall back into place and hopefully all questions will be answered!**_

 **Chapter 21: Hermione's Departure**

Hermione had her white beaded bag packed with everything she knew she would need while in Australia. She had only a couple of weeks before she would have to return to England in order to prepare for their final year at Hogwarts. It was going to be difficult to find her parents, and even harder to restore their memories. But she was determined to do it.

She stood in the room that she shared with Ginny and stared at herself in the mirror. This war had changed her a lot and not necessarily in a good way. But she was going to change that. She would overcome the feeling of loss. Yes, they won the war, but she still felt as though loss accompanied everyone.

"Hey Hermione, breakfast is ready. You'll want to get a nice big meal in before you depart." Ginny had entered the room to find out what Hermione was doing. Hermione turned to her and smiled.

"I'm coming, thanks Ginny." Hermione followed her friend out of the bedroom and downstairs where all of the Weasleys were gathered, plus Harry and Sirius.

"So you've got everything you need now, Dear?" Molly Weasley asked Hermione with a warm smile.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. I've got everything packed and ready to go." Hermione smiled at the elder witch and sat down with everybody at the table. Omelets and biscuits and other breakfast foods covered the table, and everybody dug into their meals.

Once the meal was over, Hermione stood from the table. Everybody turned to look at her, and she managed a small nervous smile. "I'll be going now. I can't lose anymore time. Thank you all for your support. It is much appreciated."

"No problem, Hermione. Let us know if you need anything," Harry said while he embraced the young witch. Ron took his turn in embracing her as well and then she walked out of the back door of The Burrow. Once she was far enough away, she disapparated, wondering if she would have enough time to save her parents.

She arrived along the edge of a wood, near a crowded park. She knew that this would be a good place to start looking, because this was where she had intended for her parents to be. She moved closer toward the crowd so as to blend in and not be noticed. Then she began walking toward the city. She had already knew what city they were in. It was the city she had ingrained into their memories when she modified them. As far as where _exactly_ they would be living, she wasn't quite sure.

She found a small hotel called The Rosewood Hotel and checked into it. It was getting late in Australia and she didn't want to cause suspicion for being out at night. When she got into her room, she began summoning things from her bag. She used the provided table in her room to sprawl out all kinds of potions and charms books as well as potion supplies such as sage and mint. The light in the room flickered for a quick moment and Hermione's attention was drawn to a book next to the telephone on the bedside table. A phonebook. Hermione quickly got up and opened it, searching for the names of her parents.

Wendell Williams. Three-hundred and fifty-one Adella Plaza was two blocks away from the hotel. Hermione felt a smile creep up on her face. She couldn't help but feel a prickle of hope and delight. She got pretty far in just her first few hours in Australia. Approaching them would be the hard part.

Hermione sighed and decided to get on an Australian sleeping schedule by taking a sleeping draught. She would be ready to take the next step tomorrow morning.


	22. Update

_**A/N: Hey guys! I know it probably isn't necessarily right to post an update without a chapter, so therefore I will give a small sneak peak of the sequel along with this update. Basically what I wanted to say was that there's a category 4 hurricane headed straight for my city, so I could potentially not survive the storm :D But not to fear, hopefully my legacy will live on through this story! I will probably be offline for the next few weeks depending on if we lose power and how long we will lose it for. If I don't die, then you can expect the first chapter of the sequel to be posted within the month (hopefully)!**_

 _ **Here's that sneak peak:**_

 _"_ _Hermione got up bright and early the first morning and opened up her bag. She knew what she was going to do in order to go in the right direction. It was shocking she hadn't thought of it before, but now, remembering that it was there, she felt as though she had no choice but to use it._

 _'Accio liquid luck,' she said, pointing her wand into the bag. Seconds later, a small vial of golden yellow liquid came jumping out. She caught it in her hand and uncorked it. After downing the liquid in one go, she packed up her bag with a confident wave of her wand and headed out of the hotel room door. She knew what she had to do."_


	23. Update 2

**_Okay guys, it has been long overdue! I am so terribly sorry to make everybody wait!_**

 ** _On top of the hurricane that came, there was drama, moving, and a lot of busyness!_**

 ** _I have not given up on this story though, I promise!_**

 ** _Follow me to stay updated when I post the first chapter of_ Per Aspera Ad Astra! **

**_Along with moving, I have been keeping busy with a lot of other things such as vlogging, painting, working, etc._**

 ** _I know you guys want to see what's in store for the golden trio, so I will do my best to update as soon as I can. Unfortunately I cannot make any promises._**

 ** _Find me on social media (twitter) to find out about exclusive content!_**


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